Falling
by LetItGoxx
Summary: As she constantly deals with her workaholic mom, abusive step-father and mean bullies in school, Dawn realizes that maybe fairytales aren't all that they seem especially if your supposedly 'knight in shining armour' doesn't even notice you.
1. Introductory

**So I know that I'm currently writing a long story right now for Advanceshipping but it won't hurt to write a fic for Ikarishipping right? Don't worry I'll make it short. This was supposed to be a one-shot but I had some more ideas.**

**Hope you guys like it!**

**Don't forget to Review if you like **

**By the way, Dawn and Paul and the rest of the characters are seniors here. Both of them are 17.**

**If you find this corny, well then sorry about that :D**

It was a very beautiful morning. The sun's up high, the birds are chirping, the skies are blue and it was a perfect day to do whatever you want like go to the beach, go shopping or whatever pleases you. Unfortunately for some certain people, they're stuck listening to the boring lectures of their Calculus teacher.

A certain young, blue-haired girl wasn't quite listening to her teacher. Clearly, she wasn't interested in the discussions. This certain girl's name is Dawn Berlitz. She wore high pink boots with a pair of black almost-knee-high socks. Due to the school's rules, she wasn't allowed to wear her favourite short skirt so instead she wore a white knee-length pair of tight shorts with some touches of pink on it. She also wear a pink and black sleeveless blouse together with a red jacket.

Dawn hated school not because of the lessons. Okay, maybe a little bit because of the lessons but she hated the fact that she was always bullied by the popular cheerleader, Ursula. She often laughs at this girl's name since it always reminds her of the bad and ugly villain in the Little Mermaid. She had pink hair which was usually tied up in pigtails with ribbons and curled up. She is often seen wearing the school's cheering team uniform, white tanktop and yellow sleeveless top over it and a yellow short skirt. The collar and the hemlines were accentuated with a dark purple tint. Of course, these cheerleaders are an exception to the school rule considering that they are always out for practices after dismissal or sometimes during free period.

Ursula and her three best friends, Clare and Lea would usually pick on Dawn. A reason for this was ever since kindergarten, Dawn and Ursula would always fight. They would usually corner her near the lockers or 'accidentally' spill their drinks on her or knock her down when she's carrying a heavy load of books.

Despite those bullies, she had two best friends, May, a brunette girl wearing an blue shirt with some imprinted words randomly shuffled tucked inside her white skirt together with a yellowish-gold belt around her small waist and was wearing a blue pair of Converse shoes. Her other friend was the red head Misty, who usually wore her head in side ponytail and a red shirt and a brown pair of knee-length shorts. They were always together whether it's doing homework or fighting off Ursula and her gang.

Meanwhile, on the boys section, we spot a purple-haired guy wearing a blue and black jacket with a dark blue shirt inside. He wore dark purple pants and blue sneakers. His name was Paul. He was quarterback of the football team and was considered one of the hottest guys in school. Despite him being popular, he was mysteriously quiet and doesn't talk to a lot of people. He only talks to his friends Ash, the boy with raven hair pointing almost everywhere, wearing black jeans, blue sneakers and a dark blue top inside a cyan jacket, and Gary, a brunette with hair almost similar to Ash's, wearing a black shirt and a brown pair of pants together with black sneakers, he also wore a fang chain neckless.

Anyway, back to the real story. That was a very long introduction. It was already the first and a half month of school in Melbourne High School but it still felt new for the said characters. They were listening to their Calculus teacher's lesson. Once the bell rang, everyone went outside eagerly for their break.

"I want this year to be different. I mean, like, this is our last year here and I guess I want it to count as one of the best years in my life." Dawn told her friends as they munched on peanut butter sandwiches.

"What kind of different do you want?" May asked her.

"I think I know what she wants." Misty smirked knowingly.

"You do?" May asked in curiosity.

"Yeah, you want Mr. Quarterback to notice you right, Dawn?" Misty grinned at her friend who stopped eating her burger and stared at her friend.

"I did not say that!" Dawn fumed.

"Dawn, we've been friends for what? Eight years? I'm guessing that you want Paul to be back the way he was and to stop avoiding you and whatever" Misty said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone to her.

"Not catching up here! What's with Paul anyway?" May wondered albeit loudly.

"Be quiet! He'll hear you!" Dawn whispered toher.

"Anyway, see you tomorrow." Misty said gathering her stuff up.

"You're leaving?" Dawn asked her. Misty nodded and said, "I still have to fix my passport stuff, don't worry, May's still here."

"Actually, I have an account to settle with Mrs. Paten, I kinda bad mouthed her during her class a while ago so sorry to say but you're on your own." May stood up finishing up her drink and fixing her things.

"Don't worry, it's just a day. You'll survive without us. Bye!" Misty said as May waved and they left.

"Great!" Dawn sarcastically said as she finished her last bits of sandwich.

"If it isn't Berryhead" A voice called to Dawn at whom she recognized belong to Ursula. She stood up from her seat and fixed her things.

"What do you want?" Dawn said in a bored tone.

"Nothing. Is it wrong to stop by to say hi to a friend?" Ursula said as her friends laughed.

"And when were WE friends? Step aside before I push you at it" Dawn said annoyed at Ursula and her friends.

"Oh no! I'm so scared! Help me!" Ursula said in a mocking voice which annoyed Dawn even more. "Seriously, pushing? How mature Dawn" And with that, all three of them laugh.

"See you later, Berryhead!" Ursula greeted in her high-pitched voice, purposely shoving Dawn by the shoulder making her drop her books. Clare and Lea, as usual, dumped 'accidentally' their drink on Dawn making her angrier.

"Bitches." Dawn muttered as she tried to dry herself with her hanky. As soon as she 'thought' she was finished, she bent down to pick her books up but to her surprise another pair of hands scooped them up. She looked up and she was surprised that the certain purplehead quarterback picked them up for her.

"Uhh..." Dawn started not really knowing what to say. Paul stood up and gave Dawn her books.

"They were in my way. I would've tripped on them if you didn't pick them up quickly." Paul whispered in a monotonous voice and went to his table with Ash and Gary following close behind.

DAWN'S POV

I don't know if my eyes or my head are playing with me but I could've sworn that right after Paul left, he had a smile on his face. Not that usual smirk that he'd give to other people but just a simple, plain smile. Although, that simple, plain smile of his brightened up my day.

I've known Paul ever since kindergarten and believe me, we were best friends. We were literally inseparable. Although, ever since junior year, he started avoiding me. I don't know what happened. I was going to ask him if he wanted to go with me to our junior prom but he declined. He told me that he's taken. I felt my heart shatter in a million pieces. My own best friend rejected me. I ended up dancing with Kenny instead. He's funny but I'm not really that interested in him. After that awkward prom, we barely talked to each other until we were no longer best friends. Did I mention that he's been dating Ursula ever since Sophomore Year? Now you know. No wonder he's been avoiding me. I didn't take too much time to figure that out.

Ursula, that bitch, my rival since kindergarten, it would only be typical of her to get Paul to avoid me. I guess she probably knew my crush on Paul and my theory says that she told Paul then he probably doesn't feel the same way as I do and avoids me and all those things that happen to those corny high school chick flicks. For the record, I do NOT like chick flick movies. Why make them if they don't happen in real life? To get our hopes up? Okay, maybe I used to love chick flicks but it's because I used to watch them with Paul when he was still the laughing stock I used to hang out with. Those were the days.

"Ms. Berlitz! Stop day dreaming and pay attention!" scolded my history teacher. I've been daydreaming about Paul that I hadn't realized that we were already discussing our lessons. This is totally embarrassing.

Oh yeah, I haven't told you yet! Paul and I have the same history, calculus, chemistry and music classes. I felt my cheeks flush red from embarrassment. You'd feel the same if you got caught daydreaming in class! Oh the embarrassment!

The bell rung and I quickly went outside for the break and met up with Kenny, my guy best friend. Don't worry, nothing's going on between us. We're just best friends. Besides, he's been dating this girl named Zoey and I'm totally fine with that.

"Hey Kenny!" I yelled, waving at him.

He approached me and gave me a smile. "What's up, DeeDee?" DeeDee is the ridiculous nickname he called me. I really don't like that name but it's just Kenny who calls me that so I don't mind.

"Where's Zoey?" And as if on cue, Zoey, the red head, spiky-haired girl came up to us. She was wearing red boots, brown pants, a black shirt and a yellow sleeveless vest over it.

"Right here!" Zoey said.

"So anyway, you have plans for this weekend?" I asked them.

"Yeah. Kenny over here's taking me to some zoo." Zoey replied.

"That's right! The best zoo ever!" Kenny cheerfully said.

"I can see why he likes zoos." I said and Zoey and I burst into a fit of laughter.

"By the way, where are Misty and May?" Kenny broke our laughter and I said, "Misty had to fix some business for her passport and May's still in detention."

"What did she do this time?" Zoey asked me.

"She bad-mouthed Mrs. Paten. She should be out," I glanced at my watch and continued, "right about now!" Like she knew we were talking about her, she came up to us from detention.

"Hey guys!" May squealed waving at us. "Boy, you have NO idea how happy I am!"

"You're the only one I know who'd feel happy for being in such a horrible place." I told her but she ignored it as she was looking at someone from the other side of the lockers.

"Guess who gave me his number in detention?" May was turning red and from the looks of it, I can see that she's totally joyful. TOO JOYFUL. If she gets more red, she'd probably explode.

"Let me guess, Ash? You know, PAUL's friend, co-captain of the football team?" Zoey said. I flinched knowing that she purposely emphasized the Paul's name. Zoey just looked at me with a big grin on her face knowing that I liked Paul.

"Ash freaking Ketchum just gave me his effin' number! I think I'm gonna explode!" May squealed once again as she turned redder than a while ago if that was actually possible.

"Calm down, May. It's just a number, it's not like he asked you out already!" Kenny reminded her. Just as soon as he said that, Ash came right over to us. I was hoping that Paul was with him but unfortunately he wasn't. He was accompanied by Gary who seemed to be looking for someone as he glanced nervously at us.

"Yes?" I broke the fit of glances between us.

"oh right! Uh, May, so got any plans tomorrow? I mean it's a Saturday and I, uh, well..." Guess Mr. Co-Captain's a little less confident that he usually is.

"I'm free tomorrow! Totally free!" May said excitedly not minding the big blush on her face.

"So you wanna go out with me? Get some food, go to a movie or something like that?" Ash asked her nervously failing to hide his blush.

"YES YES YES!" May shouted receiving surprised stares from us, she cleared her throat and said in a formal manner, "I would love to" and gave him her signature smile.

"Alright, see you at 10 tomorrow!" Ash said and left. Gary stopped to look at us for another second and walked away but I caught up with him, "Gary, Misty's not with us right now. She's left a while ago for some foreign affair. Anyway, have you seen Paul?" I asked him.

"Yeah, he's with Ursula right now in the cafeteria. I feel sorry for him." Gary said then left and from the looks of his face, he was trying to suppress his laughter. I giggled when he said that he felt sorry for Paul being with Ursula.

I went back to my group of friends and headed over to the cafeteria to have lunch. As I reached the cafeteria, I quickly spotted Paul with Ursula, he didn't look happy. Maybe they were dating, but I have the big feeling that he doesn't even like Ursula. Almost as if he was just forced into dating her. I feel sorry for him just like what Gary had said. I stared at them for a moment and walked to my table where my other friends sat.

**END OF CHAPTER ONE**

**Sorry if it's not that great. Not really great with words. Haha! So, I'll keep you updated as soon as possible. **


	2. Unbelievable

**Paul's POV**

Another boring day for me. I can't believe I'm stuck with Ursula as my lab partner in Chemistry. I never even agreed to this dating thing, I don't know how I got myself into this mess. She just dragged me into this. We've been dating for what? Six months? SIX CRAPPY MONTHS OF MY ENTIRE LIFE plus she spent the other six months before those six months to make me think that I was actually dating her. I can't believe it! I can't believe I'll have to take her to the senior's dance in probably 8 and a half months from now! Great! Just great! I spent an entire year of my life being bossed around by this Ursula, I can't believe I actually didn't even say anything about our 'relationship'. Obviously, I don't like her. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get out of her grasp. It's like she's luring me into having what she wants. She NEVER, and I mean never, let me speak my mind. I tried breaking up with her for once but then she was like, "I completely understand. Don't worry, I'm okay with cooling down for a bit" What part of break up do you not understand? I admit, I kinda did like her the first two months in our relationship but it's just what do you call that? Infatuation? I don't know what it is but it was nothing serious. It's like listening to the same song for two whole months without listening to another one then before you know it, you start unliking it and eventually you'll stop listening to it. That's how I describe my supposed 'feelings' for Ursula.

To be honest, I've been feeling completely guilty. I've been avoiding my best friend just because of this girl. Ursula's obviously just using me for her own image being the little bitch that she is. Because in movies, the jock and the cheerleader are the ones who go out and all those crap that I don't care about. I always remember the laughs I've had with Dawn, the fun memories and the hilarious things we did together back when I still wasn't dating this piece of trash. We used to do everything together. We were literally inseparable. And just like removing an ant from the palm of your hand with one snap, we were separated. We started avoiding each other little by little. I have to admit that it's my fault that things between me and Dawn have completely gone down the drain. I spent more and more time with Ursula and less time with Dawn. I even snapped at her at times for interrupting me with my thoughts about Ursula. We went on like that for two months until we stopped talking to each other. What have I done? I can't believe I fell into my fake feelings. Feelings that were no good and would just go to waste after a short time.

I have to admit that I like Dawn...maybe I do love her. This year I want to change and correct the mistakes that I've done to her the past year. I'm gonna make things right with my best friend this time, go back to the way everything was before. I'm taking her to the dance or better yet, ask her out on a date. Who knows what could happen!

"I thought Ash over there's my lab partner. Why the hell am I stuck with you?" I growled at the pink headed girl.

"I asked Sir if Ash and I could change lab partners and he said yes so he made me your new lab partner. Deal with it" Ursula said in a knowing manner and a demanding tone.

'Great. Just great!' I mentally cursed my mind knowing that this wasn't a good situation to be in. "Well go ahead and solve for the equation our teacher gave us" I ordered her while leaning back to my chair and relaxing.

"What, you're not going to help me?" Ursula raised her voice a pitch higher than her usual annoying high-pitched voice. Damn that voice. It's like hearing glass shatter all over the whole school. Note to self: Always bring cordless earplugs.

"I'd rather flunk chemistry than do the problems on the board with you" I scoffed at her. God, she's annoying as ever.

"Oh come on! This has to be a partner effort and we're like partners! Now do it or else!" Ursula raised her voice to me again. Make it stop!

I raised my eyebrow and smirked and said, "Or else what?" I narrowed my eyes and my smirk got even bigger knowing that these actions annoyed the hell out of her. That definitely caught her off guard.

"I'll...I'll...ugh are you gonna help me or not?" Ursula shouted a little, annoyed with how her "boyfriend" was acting towards her. "Boyfriends are supposed to help their girlfriends!"

"Yes and I am helping you" I said calmly folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Yeah, because sitting and watching me do the experiment while you relax is a BIG help" She said in an obviously sarcastic tone.

"I'm helping you DUH. I'm helping you learn and work on your own. Not my fault that you have a brain the size of a cocoon" I shrugged and smirked knowing that Ursula was very annoyed at this point.

"You know, you're SOOOO annoying!" She said as I smiled thinking that I victoriously annoyed her, "And that's why I love you!" My smile curved downwards turning to a frown.

'Oh god can't this day get any worse?' I thought to myself.

After that long Chemistry period, I survived and now heading towards the cafeteria where Ash and Gary were waiting for me.

"You just had to agree to switch partners with Ursula didn't you?" I glared daggers at Ash who was just sitting there eating his sandwich. Of course, he would! He's Ash, he loves sandwiches.

"Sorry Paul but the Professor told me to, I didn't know I was going to change partners with Ursula." Ash defended himself.

"I can't believe I'll have to deal with her crap for a whole year." I sighed.

"Why don't you just break up with her? Ring it in her ears and tell her, "I'm breaking up with you!" Ash told me in a stern voice saying the "I'm breaking up with you" phrase in quite a loud way. The people looked at us as if we were crazy. Who wouldn't? Ash just can't keep his voice low, can he?

"We're practicing a line here! Mind your own business!" Ash scoffed at the people who just shrugged and continued with what they were doing.

"You think?" Gary finally spoke.

"It's about time you start speaking." I told him.

"Sorry, I was wondering about something" Gary said quietly.

"More like someone. Spit it" Ash told him although it was more like a command in this case.

"I'm looking for Misty." Gary mumbled.

"Ah, I see you're looking for carrot head. Well, if you want to see her she's over there at Dawn and her friends' table." I told Gary while pointing my thumb two tables behind me.

"Phew! For a second there, I thought she wasn't coming to school again." Gary said, "I can't believe I didn't see her the whole day yesterday."

"Well, you've seen her now, party yay" Ash said in a bored and sarcastic tone and glanced over at May at Dawn's table.

"Quit it or I'll tell May about-" But Gary got abruptly cut off by Ash who forcibly clamped his hand over the brunette's mouth.

"YOU DO NOT DARE" Ash said with fierce yet nervous look on his face, "Say one word and you're dead" I just sighed at this. It's practically normal for Ash and Gary to fight everyday. It's fun watching people fight, it reminded me of...Dawn. I miss our playful fights, our playful shoving and just about everything. I can't believe I let a whole year go to waste. I can't believe that I let Ursula get into our relationship. I've been in love with Ursula for what? Two months! That's nothing compared to how long I loved Dawn. I bet if I didn't avoid her the past year, we'd probably be eating in the same table again, holding hands, joking around...dating. I can't change the past but I can definitely do something better in the present for the future.

My thoughts were interrupted when a certain pink headed girl came barging in to our table. Ursula just never gives up doesn't she? Plan Break-Ursula's-Heart commence!

"Hey Paul!" Ursula greeted me in a flirtatious way. She thinks I'm too dense to realize it? Ha, think again missy.

"What do you want?" I asked her quite sternly.

"Can't I hang out with my boyfriend?" Ursula batted her eyelashes and showed me her puppy dog face. Man, she annoys me!

"I thought we're cooling off?" There I go again using the same words she uses everytime we meet each other, 'Paul, are you saying that we should cool off?' Her words. That dumbass.

"Ursula, I'm sorry to say but I'm..." I trailed off and looked at my friends for support who just nodded and continued to strangle each other. "I'm..uh, sick with the cold. I don't want you to catch a cold now get out!" I fumed at her and using hand gestures signifying that she should go away.

"Okay, it's so nice of you to care about my health although you have to practice more on the way you say things. Anyway, catch you later!" Ursula rushed off to meet Clare and Lea.

"What the hell is wrong with you! Why do you keep on chickening out? You're just gonna tell her that you don't love her anymore then boom! It's over!" Ash shouted at me.

"I'm sorry. Words got tangled again." I told him.

"Whatever. If you want to stop living in her hell, then you better step up your game and break that girl's heart" Gary said to me and after a second or two of silence, he glanced up and smirked evilly.

"What do you have in mind? I swear I am not going to pretend to be gay again! Last time we did that, she took in the different way and said, 'oh my gosh you're gay as in happy because of me?' and then she hugs me to death until my lungs can't take it anymore" I told them making a very bad impression of Ursula.

"You gotta practice mocking people. You suck at it. If I were a mocking judge, you'd get a negative one for being too horrible at it" Ash commented.

"Thank you for the unneeded comment, Ash" I said to him and turned back to Gary, "What was that idea of yours?"

"Ursula's the kind of girl who would probably kick any girl who comes near you. Not to mention, she's very possessive with you and..." Gary continued talking but I honestly didn't listen to his blabs anymore. I realized what he wants me to do.

"Oh Gary, just spit it out already!" Ash said impatiently.

"Jeez, what I'm trying to say is that you should make her jealous!" Gary said in a way that made him look as if he won the lottery or something like that.

"Oh crap I knew it! And which girl do you want me to pair up with in this jealousy plan of yours?" Paul asked the two thinking guys.

"Uhhh...how about Becky?" Gary asked.

"You want me to date the girl who's allergic to almost everything? I don't think so." Becky? She's been sneezing her guts out since fifth grade. I am not kissing that mouth of hers!

"Lila?" Ash asked.

"Too gothy." Which is true, Lila, despite having such a beautiful name, was a goth. She's pretty hot but I bet she'd kill me before I could actually kiss her.

"Daisy?" Gary pointed out.

"She sleeps with different guys almost every week. I am not going to be a victim!" I retorted. I will not lose my virginity to someone who sleeps with college freshmen!

And after ten minutes of names and no's, there was one person left.

"hmmm...DAWN?" Ash and Gary said at the same time grinning at me.

"I am not using my bestfriend to make someone jealous!" I nearly screamed at them and followed with a grunt.

"Oh come on! Bestfriends? You broke your connections for about a year! I know you want to get back with her" Ash teased me. He got me there alright.

"We were never together!" As much as I hoped we were.

"Get back with her as best friends, that's what I meant! What were you thinking?" Ash asked me.

"Nothing"

"You're hopeless. You want to break up with Ursula but you can't find the right words for it and you can't even make her jealous yet alone, you can't even attempt to make her jealous! I gave you suggestions but if you don't like any of them then it's up to you to think of something." Gary said and patted me on the shoulder before standing up. Ash and I stood from our seats too and went over to our lockers.

I was deep in thought. Too deep in thought about finding ways to break up with Ursula when I realized I had just bumped into someone and knocked her books over. I bent down to pick them up for the girl I bumped and when I finally looked up a little, I saw Dawn's ever-so-pretty face. I can't believe I missed the chance ogling that beautiful face of hers for a whole year. Now here we are, acting as if we never knew each other, acting like we were never friends.

"Oh, uh, hi Dawn." I stood up and gave her her books. "Your books sure love to fall off of yours hands don't they?" I asked her with a chuckle.

"Y-yeah. I guess I should b-be more c-caref-ful next time" She said nervously and smiled at me in a sheepish manner.

"Well, I have to go. Late for class, see you later!" I told her and ran off. If I keep this up, the talking to Dawn part, I bet we'd be back to the way we were in no time.

****

**I think this was a little bit corny but what the heck. At least I'm getting to something.**

**What do you think? Was it too shallow? Was it good? Was the plot a little overused?**

**Anyway, don't forget to review. I'll keep you updated as soon as possible.**


	3. Misery

**Dear Anonimouse, yes I do watch the pokemon series, in fact, I never miss an episode. What do you know about my fanfic? Obviously you don't know what a fanfic means. Whatever I write here is based on how I want to view the given characters to further enhance my story. Thank you.**

**I just would like to tell you that this is a fan fiction so anything my mind comes up with, I write it. Paul still has the cold demeanor in him but I also decided to give him a slightly soft personality.**

"_I am in misery  
>There ain't nobody who can comfort me<br>Why won't you answer me?  
>Your silence is slowly killing me"<br>_

**Dawn' POV**

Today's a Wednesday which means Calculus and Gym Class after lunch. Dang it! Anyway, yesterday was just awesome. For once, Ursula didn't bug me. She's probably still sulking over what happened during history class yesterday. Ms. Dansel surely owned her in that one. She was like, "Yeah totally! It's like watching the French Revolution over again!" and Ms. Dansel was like, "You watched it live?" although she said it in a joking manner. Then, she goes on and on about how our teacher called her old. Pretty shallow don't you think? Anyway, I'm off to lunch with Misty and May.

"So since Friday's a no-school day, why don't we hang out?" May suggested to us. I know what she's thinking. SHOPPING! How could I say no?

"Yes! There's this newly opened mall in Lilycove, maybe we could go there!" I said excitedly. Lilycove was about two miles away from here but it doesn't matter. Having a driver's license has it's benefits.

"We could go there! But I am not letting May drive again!" Misty held her head up and frowned. Obviously, she remembered the incident with May and her car.

"Oh yeah, is your car fixed already?" I asked Misty.

"Sort of. Apparently, May over here broke the left front headlight and right back headlight." Misty said, irritated.

"I'm sorry. I've never been good in parallel parking." May defended herself.

"That's alright. You still owe me for the damage though." Misty reminded her and May just nodded slightly chowing down her food again. That girl eats like there's no more yesterday. No wonder Ash likes her.

"Anyway, we're playing dodgeball for gym class today! All these years, I thought we'd learn to play volleyball or tennis or whatever." May said.

"We did learn those sports. We even had a mini-tournament before, don't you remember?" I told May. It's no surprise that she doesn't know of course, she never did well in gym class. Except for martial arts. If you love your body, don't let her hit you. I remember when she broke Ritchie's wrist when he insulted her. She held on to it then snap! It's broken.

"I'm sorry but I don't find anything interesting in gym class!" May retorted.

"You just hate it when your clothes get all dirty and wrinkly" I said to her.

"That too!" May said a bit louder this time and went back to munching on her sandwich. Well, May is like a boy version of Ash. No doubt about that!

"Hello Berryhead! I see you've got your sidekicks with you too! Hello Carrot and Skank" Ugh. Ursula again, here to destroy my perfect lunch.

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A SKANK?" May shouted at her causing stares from everyone else in the cafeteria including Ash and Gary. Okay, where the heck is Paul?

"Why? You mad?" Ursula smirked. Knowing May, she'd probably cut Ursula's head for now but since I don't want her to be jailed for life, Misty and I decided to grab hold of both her hands. Never call May a skank, ever! Trust me, Harley, some bully back in freshman year called her a Skank and next thing we knew he was lying down in a hospital bed and May got suspended for a whole two weeks.

"May, cool it! Don't take her seriously." I heard Misty whisper to her. Although, I didn't mind as I was glaring daggers at Ursula and her two obnoxious manikins. They look so white from all those cream stuff they use, it's almost like they lost a large amount of blood.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" I shouted at her.

"I have. Oh well, I'll leave you and your vegetables alone. See you in gym class!" Ursula chuckled evilly and 'accidentally' dumped spaghetti on my head.

"Oops my bad. Let me clean that up for you." She said and dumped water on my head.

"What the hell is wrong with you? CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?" I yelled at her but she seemed to ignore it as she laughed together with Lea and Clare.

"At least the orange tint in your fake hair's been cleaned up by the water" She smirked and walked away. That bitch totally annoys me!

I sat back down on my chair only to be interrupted by a huge fit of laughter. This is totally embarrassing! Who wouldn't be embarrassed? I'm a total mess. I could feel the hot tears burning inside my eyes and a lump blocking my throat. May and Misty tried to get those small spaghetti bits out of my hair but it didn't stop the people in the cafeteria from laughing.

"This is so embarrassing!" I said and ran out of the cafeteria while rubbing my eyes. Luckily, I was the only one running since everyone were either doing homework in the study hall or eating their lunch. After a few moments of running, I realized that I wasn't alone when I bumped into something. More like a someone.

"You look like a total mess." I looked up to see that it was none other Paul. Much more embarrassing. Bumping into your ex-bestfriend looking like a total mess and then he calls you a total mess.

"You here to laugh at me too? Why don't you just go with your girlfriend and insult me the way she does!" I yelled at him shoving past him but he grabbed my wrist all of a sudden.

"I am not gonna laugh at you! I'm not that low. Big deal about how you look right now, it's nothing water can't fix." He said. Strangely, I found talking to him comforting. It's like I'm talking to my best friend again. Although, he still had that bored look and frown on his face.

"Right. Whatever. See you later." I found myself running again towards the lady's comfort room and cleaned up. I looked up in the mirror and realized that I was blushing slightly when I thought of Paul. Weird. Him and kicking Ursula's ass is what's occupying my mind right now.

**Paul's POV**

I walked to the cafeteria and went over to Ash and Gary. There's a lot of tension in this room, that's a fact. I wonder what happened while I was gone.

"Hey guys! What happened to Dawn? I bumped into her and she was covered in spaghetti or something and was wet." I asked them both.

"Your soon-to-be ex-girlfriend happened. As usual, she was picking on Dawn and her group and happened to be a little harsher than she was." Gary explained.

"She dumped her lunch on Dawn." Ash simply said.

"Dawn just couldn't stay out of trouble now, could she?" I said. She's still the same troublesome girl I met back in the second grade.

"Hey, it wasn't her fault. Ursula just came barging in to her table and said nasty things to them." Ash said as he drank his shake carelessly.

I was about to speak when the bell suddenly rang signifying that we should get back to our classrooms for our afternoon lessons. This is gonna be boring.

The next day, Thursday, we were all stuck inside our classrooms listening to Mr. Hudson's boring history lessons. AGAIN. Jeez! We've been talking about the same topic for three days now and it's boring the heck out of me. As much as I hate listening to history lessons, I have to. It's not like I'm stupid or something, in fact, I actually ace all my subjects except for this one. I got a B- on my report card in history. Not my fault it's so boring. Anyway, we're talking about some sort of research and dual project meaning that we will be doing it together with a partner Sir will assign to us.

"You guys are to report about the Hoenn Revolution against Kanto and Sinnoh? Got that?" Mr. Hudson asked us as we gave him nods or yes's.

"Good. I will be assigning you your partners and I'll post them on the wall this afternoon. Please check them during your freetime. Make sure you do well on this project considering that it's thirty percent of your total grade for history. Now on to our next topic..." Mr. Hudson continued. Ahhh another topic! Make it stop. He's been talking and talking and talking for two periods. Even Dawn, despite the fact that she never misses a chance to listen to discussions, fell asleep on her armchair. Damn she looks beautiful even in her sleep. Those midnight blue locks of hair, that smooth face of hers, those pink, glossed and soft lips...Enought with the gushing, Paul. Get a hold of yourself!

The bell rang and the students went out eagerly. Obviously they didn't like history class one bit. As I was walking out of the classroom, I noticed a certain someone was still slumped on her seat and snoring. I decided to wake her up to avoid further embarrassment when class resumes.

"Dawn?" No use. She's still snoring softly.

"Dawn?" I tried shaking her but to no avail.

"Daaaawn?" I said a little longer but she was still in deep slumber. What time did this girl sleep? Did she even sleep at all?

Finally I lost my patience and yelled at her ear, "TROUBLESOME!" Yes, I did it! I used to call her Troublesome. That's my pet name for her. She finally woke up.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" She yelled with her eyes half-shut.

"It's lunch time. Don't you want to eat?" I asked her and she finally opened her eyes to notice that I was talking to her. She was shocked, definitely. The way she was looking at me...it's like she saw a ghost raping a cat or something.

"Oh. Thanks for waking me up and sorry for yelling." She quietly said, got up from her seat and left. Is this what she really feels about me now? Like I'm going to strangle her? One year can change people a lot and no doubt that I changed for the worse. I walked outside to the cafeteria and went with Ash and Gary and started eating my meal.

Ash, Gary and I went back to our classrooms for homeroom period and started doing whatever pleased us. I read a book. An adventure type story, not those corny and cheesy love stories where in they meet, they love each other, they fight, they break up, they meet again, they make up and they live happily ever after. Damn I've been spending too much time with Reggie and Maylene! I can't believe they actually enjoy watching chick flicks. I used to watch them with...Dawn...Anyway, Gary was flirting with some girls. I know it's a cover-up. He just wants to make Misty jealous. Gary or "The Man" as he calls himself can't even man up to ask a girl out. Ash was sat on his chair fiddling with his iPhone or should I say texting a certain special someone.

After a few minutes, May, Misty and Dawn went inside and sat in their respective places. May was behind Ash. Misty sat somewhere in the middle and Gary sat beside her. Typical of him. Dawn sat in front of the chair beside me so we were slanting in view. And then...

"Hey guys! The list is up!" Tory shouted as some of the students in our class went up to the board. I decided to wait until they all cleared up and by the looks of things, Dawn was thinking the same thing.

I stood up and walked over to the list where Ash and Gary were staring at it. I looked at it carefully.

Ash – May; That's a first  
>Misty – Gary; Poor Misty...I think<br>Zoey – Kenny  
>Ursula – Clare; YES I AM NOT PARTNERED WITH LITTLE MISS STUCK UP!<br>Lea – Michael  
>Tory – Becky; Poor guy<br>Ritchie – Saph  
>Katie – Lawrence<br>Barry - Bianca

After a few more names, I found mine and to my surprise what I read was...

Paul – Dawn

I guess I'm partnered up with my ex-bestfriend. This oughtta be good. I went over to my seat while Dawn stood up and looked at the list. After some moments of reading, she glumly went back to her seat and wrote on a notebook. I think it was her journal.

"I can't believe Berryhead is partnered up with my boyfriend." Ursula complained. I winced at the word 'boyfriend'. I have to break up with her soon.

"Don't worry, Ursula, it's just a project." Lea told her.

"If she stressed my Paulie to much, then it will be the end of her happy days!" Ursula shouted. I looked over to Dawn who in turn glanced at me, as if she knew I was staring at her, and gave me a weak smile before writing down on her journal.

She's been looking sad this week. Okay, I know she's been sad for a year but this looks weird. As if something's bothering her, that smile she gives to her friends is gone and her cheerful energy seems to have been drained. It's like she's worrying to much. I just want to jump out of this seat and tackle her into a hug but then I'd be out of character. Even if we haven't had much connections the past year, I know that she knows that it's out of my character to hug people. She's the only person I used to hug. Not even Reggie received any of my hugs.

The bell rang and the teacher came in. Great! Lessons again.

**Dawn's POV**

I can't believe Mr. Hudson paired me up with Paul! Not that I don't like it but I don't want to feel awkward. Anyway, it's just schoolwork, it's nothing personal.

After school, I walked back home. Once I arrived, I was greeted by no other than my step-father. My mom's still probably out at work so she left the house in the care of my step-dad. My step-dad's name is Vince and heck does he treat me like dirt or trash. I can't believe mom agreed to marrying a guy who doesn't even like her own daughter.

"You're finally home! You're late, what took you so long?" Vince said. I don't feel comfortable calling him dad so I just call him by his first name.

"I did some extra schoolwork before heading here. It's actually none of your business." I said as I headed over to my room on the second floor when he grabbed my wrist abruptly.

"WHAT GIVES, VINCE?" I yelled at him, yanking my arm away from his tight grip.

"Go make me some coffee you brat! You come home late and then you shout at me! How nice of you." He sarcastically said as he went over to the sofa and continued watching TV. I went to the kitchen and made him some black coffee and returned to him after a couple of minutes.

"YOU CALL THIS COFFEE? IT BARELY HAS A TASTE!" He yelled at me. It's been a month since my mom married this guy. I'm still trying to get used to him. I guess that's going to take a long time.

"WELL I'M SORRY IF YOU KEEP FORGETTING TO BUY YOUR OWN COFFEE! LEAVE ME ALONE I'M GOING TO DO MY HOMEWORK!" Before I know it, a sharp pain whipped through my cheek realizing that he had just slapped me. Oh no he didn't! I just ignored him and went back to my room, locking it making sure that Vince doesn't come up.

I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the slapped cheek turning red faster than I thought it would be. I walked over to my fridge, yes I have mini-fridge in my room, and took out three pieces of ice cubes, wrapped them in a small, thin towel and placed them on my cheek as I did my homework.

My life is pretty much a mess. I lost my best friend. I'm being bullied by the worst bullies ever. And now I have some whacko psycho for a dad. Thank God, I still have Misty, May, Kenny and Zoey to count on.

**That marks the end of this chapter. Okay so I meant to give Dawn the battered and bullied character for further plots on this story. Hope you enjoyed reading! **

**I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**Sorry for the flaws in here.**

**Don't forget to review! Thanks!**


	4. History Project

**Hope you guys like this chapter. Lots of ikarishipping in here. Don't forget to review :) Paul is probably a little bit OOC here but just ride on and deal with it.**

**PAUL'S POV**

Here I am sitting on my desk, first period, listening to my teacher's boring lectures. Why can't something different happen today? It's always a boring day and nothing seems to be fun anymore. During the previous years, I always found something good to do. Like prank Ketchum or insult Gary or play tickle fights with Dawn and other fun stuff. There I go again about Dawn. I want to go talk to her like I normally do before but I'm afraid that she's just going to avoid me since she thinks I'm up to no good which is not true. –sigh-

The bell rang which means on to the next period. History. Oh great! Another boring lesson. I went over to my locker which was right in the middle of Ash's and Gary's lockers. I opened it and as usual Ash and Gary are fighting and slamming their lockers to prove their point. If they actually have one.

"Hey Pauly" Oh great! Ursula gave me a pet name. Sounds crappy to me. The only pet name I actually approve of is "Sir Rudeness" made up by Dawn.

"What do you want?" I asked her with a sigh and slammed my locker, looking down at her with cold and stern eyes.

"You wanna go shopping with me this Saturday?" she asked me showing me her crappy puppy dog eyes.

"No. Never expect me to go shopping with a girl." I told her firmly. Serves you right!

"But the last time we went out together was like nine months ago." She said in a hurt voice. That's because you don't what breaking up means, exactly what I want to tell her.

As I was about to speak again, the bell rang and we went back to our respective classrooms. Mr. Hudson wasn't present so he left us with our work to do. THIS IS GREAT. I sat quietly on my seat and started to do our work while the others goofed around or talked and talked and talked or whatever they wanted to do. Better to finish this early than never at all anyway.

"Pauly" Crap.

"Why don't you want to go out with me this Saturday?" Ursula asked.

"Because I have lots of things to do. One of them is what I'm doing right now so leave me alone." I said to her coldly not even bothering to look at her.

"But Pauly!" She insisited.

She went on and on and on about why she wanted to go to the mall, what she wanted to buy and other things I don't care about. In fact, I'm not even listening to her. Suddenly, I don't even know why but I felt myself listening intently to a conversation between Misty, May and Dawn. Pull yourself together, Paul, don't let them notice you!

"Dawn, you can tell us everything." Misty said to her in a comforting manner while she just looked down.

"Come on, Dawn! We just wanted to know what happened to your cheek. It's not like we're asking you about something that could probably send you to jail." May said. Well, that was soothing. NOT

"I know. Vince hit you again, didn't he?" Misty asked while Dawn just nodded. WHO THE HELL IS THIS VINCE? IS SHE GOING OUT WITH HIM? IF I FIND OUT THAT HE'S MAKING DAWN FEEL LIKE THIS THEN I WON'T HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT BEATING HIS LAME ASS! I struggled myself from rampaging and asking Dawn where this Vince guy was.

"It's been a really...hard...month for me." Man, she's crying! I hate it when she cries. Whoever hurt her will definitely pay! God I think I've been picking up Barry's quirks.

"There wasn't a single day that he wouldn't hurt me. Why can't my mom just realize that it was a stupid idea for her to marry that dog?" Dawn said amidst her tears as she buried her face in her hands and leaned down to her desk sobbing hard.

"There...there" May said patting her back in an attempt to comfort her. Questions of what and why were currently dancing in my mind. I wish it was that easy to go up to her and hug her but I can't since little miss pinky over here is still going on and on about her shopping stuff.

"Will you please just shut up?" I yelled at her causing the whole class including Dawn to look at us. Great, just great!

"We're, uh, playing with each other! This is how we roll, right Paul?" I just looked at her and continued doing the work given to us. This is gonna be a long day.

**DAWN'S POV**

Finally! After five periods of boredom, it's lunchtime! Which means another chance for Ursula to bug me and probably embarrass me again. I'd rather have a whole twenty-four hours of school than having her around to boss me around. I wish she'd just butt out of my life! Like that red, spiky haired guy who happens to be my father now. Thanks a lot Vince for giving me a sour, red cheek and for ruining my life.

"So, Dawn, what are you planning on doing for your History report?" May asked. I completely forgot about that! It's not my fault. Shouldn't Paul be the one to ask me on what we should do? Or should it be me?

"To be honest, I have no idea." I said quietly as I drank from my water bottle while doing my calculus homework. Because I kept crying last night, I totally forgot to do my calculus homework.

"Well you better step it up unless you wanna fail history" Misty reminded me.

"Of course, I will! I, uh, I mean me and my partner!" I said nervously. I still can't believe I got paired up with my ex-bestfriend. This is going to be awkward.

"Try your best not to act awkward in front of him, okay?" May said.

"Yes! Yes I wi-" But I got cut off by the same pink headed monster who just can't keep her mouth shut.

"Hello Berryhead," She looked at me then at Misty and May, "Berryhead's sidekicks"

"Like Clare and Lea aren't your sidekicks?" May retorted angrily.

"What the hell do you want now? After you embarrassed me yesterday, I don't have time to put up with you today." I told her in a cold voice.

"Keep your hands and eyes off of Paul. Just because you're partners doesn't mean you have the right to go in close with him." Ursula eyed me angrily. Crazy monster.

"Oh, and Sourface," She started. Great another pet name, thanks a lot Vince! "Your face sucks." You just crossed the line. So what that I have a swollen cheek, at least I don't use artificial things to make me look good. She walked past us and as usual she spilled her drink on my calculus homework.

"WHAT GIVES? I SPEND LIKE AN HOUR DOING THAT!" I yelled at her.

"Well then, make another one." She smirked at me. Oh that's it. I was about to claw her face when someone unexpected came over to our table.

"That's enough, Ursula. Get away from them now!" Paul glared angrily at her. Uh, what? What's he doing here? Why's he taking this bitch away from me? At least, I don't have to put up with her. For now.

"But Pauly" Eww what kind of pet name is that?

"Troublesome here doesn't need your opinion. Now get out if you know what's good for you." Paul said, the angry eyes remained unchanged. Thankfully, Ursula left, giving me a look that says, 'back off bitch'

"What are you doing here? Why don't you go to your girlfriend?" I asked him a little nervously.

"Uh" He's nervous? That's not the Paul I know. "About the history project, can we do it at your place?" Great, he just went here to my table to talk about some lame project. At least, he's talking to me.

"Sure. What time and when?" I asked him quietly in a monotonous tone.

"How about tomorrow at five in the afternoon?" He suggested and I nodded.

"Great. See you tomorrow. Bye" And with that, he left. I felt myself blush but just a little and went back to eating my lunch only to see a smirking Misty and a squealing-too-much-for-her-own-good May.

"What?" I asked them.

"I think he just asked you out." May said smiling.

"He did not. He just wanted to go over to my place to do some lame assignment." I explained. Where in the world are we getting at this?

"That's totally level one of a guy showing hints of liking a girl." May said in a knowing expression.

"Like you should know." I told her.

"I don't know Berlitz, I don't know" May sighed and continued chowing down on her food.

**PAUL'S POV**

It's Friday and currently 4:35 on my watch. What's the hurry, Dawn and I are two houses apart. I'm sure it won't take me more than 25 minutes to reach her house.

"Paul's having a da-ate!" Ash sang as he ate his cookies.

"This is not a date, Ketchum and get your hands off of my cookies." I glared at him but he just ignored me.

"I don't know. Just wait and see you little lavender, prune head." Ash said. I hate it when he insults me.

"What are you even doing here? Better yet, how'd you get in here?" I wondered. Ketchum is so weird. What, did he climb my window or something?

"You left your house keys in my car when I dropped you and Gary to the baseball game while I took mah lady to a fancy restaurant." Ash said as he tossed my house keys to me.

"Right. Now get out before I lock you up in Reggie's closet." I told him and smirked at the memory of Gary and I, locking him up in Reggie's closet during our victory party here in my house. He ran out with some girl-whom-I-don't-know's bra dangling on his head. How'd a bra get inside Reggie's closet? MAYLENE.

Ash shrugged obviously not a fan of the certain event. "I'll take these cookies as a punishment since you reminded me about that incident!" Before I could even speak, he dashed out of the back door. Ketchum is definitely weird.

DAWN'S POV

"I'm sorry but I can't go shopping with you guys. I really wanted to but studies first before anything else. Maybe next time." I told May and Misty through the phone.

"That's alright, Dawn. Do you want anything? We can buy you something if you want." May asked me.

"No thanks. Anyway, I have to get dressed before Paul comes over." I said to them.

"Okay Dawn. Enjoy your study DATE!" Misty yelled through the phone, adding emphasis to the word "DATE". I'm just gonna casually study with Paul and do our project together. No big deal. I rushed up to my room and dug through my closet to look for something nice to wear.

"Man, I can't even pick something nice to wear!" I complained digging deeper into my closet, nearly throwing some pieces of cloth on the floor. After about ten minutes of searching, I finally found the perfect outfit. It was a purple long-sleeved v-neck with a white stripe across the chest and a white pair of mid-thigh shorts. I don't know why but I suddenly have the urge to impress Paul with my clothing.

"Juice! He definitely needs to eat snacks while we do our project!" I exclaimed to myself as I hurried down the kitchen to make two glasses of orange juice and some muffins for our snacks. Just as I finished preparing the muffins, the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" I yelled as I wiped my wet hands on the towel and rushed to open the door. I was greeted by no other than Paul. He was wearing a blue muscle shirt that had the words, "TOO HOT" in black font in the torso part, hood down revealing his arm muscles, hood down. He ad on a pair of black knee-length shorts and a black pair of high-cut converse. It seems as if we have switched places. I mean I'm wearing something pruple and he's wearing blue but it's not that you have to know that.

"Hey Troublesome!" Paul greeted calling me by the pet name he gave me although there was huge frown plastered on this face. Of course being his ex-bestfriend, I know that it's what Ursula did to him. He barely smiles anymore. It's obvious that he's not happy anymore so why can't he just dump the chick? I'm starting to sound like a jealous fan girl of his.

"Hi Paul" I said shutting the door behind me. When was the last time he was here!

"You, uh, want some juice?" I offered him, putting the tray on the wooden table in front of us. He smiled gently at me and took the juice from the tray.

"Oh yeah! I forgot I made muffins, wait a sec!" I rushed off to the kitchen door and got the plate of muffins and offered him some which he gladly took.

"You sure prepared for my arrival when all we're going to do is finish a report" He chuckled at the statement and resumed to eating his muffin. Even with his mouth full, he still looks adorable. I didn't just say that, did I?

"I took the time since my mom and Vince aren't here." I said to him taking a sip of my juice.

"Vince is your step-dad right?" He asked me and I just nodded. I honestly don't feel comfortable talking about Vince not after what he did to me the other day. My cheek still feels kind of sore. After a few minutes of eating, we headed to my room since I forgot to bring down my history notes and my history book. I opened my laptop and started the report while Paul was reading through the books.

"Okay, so how do we start this report?" I asked him.

He shrugged and said, "How about if we start with the reign of King Lucas II in Kanto?" I nodded and sat on my bed next to him, bringing my laptop with me, reading the book he was reading or more like scanning.

"I actually think Mr. Hudson partnering me up with you isn't such a bad idea after all." He told me and I felt myself flush thinking if this was a compliment.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm not really that good in history though, I find it boring." I said to him in a soft voice. He just stared at me and smiled then went back to the book.

I kinda like this. Being with Paul, alone. Makes me reminisce on us back in the younger days when we would hang out in his place and play with his x-box or guitar hero or any other game he had. This was different though. A good different. Everytime he'd look at me, I blush. I melt inside everytime he smiles at me and just being this close to him felt right. Okay, what am I thinking? I don't even know if we're friends. A while ago was the only formal conversation I've had with him since a year ago.

"Can I borrow your laptop?" He asked me.

"Sure" I said and handed him my laptop. He typed some words pretty fast and after about five minutes of typing, about three-fourths of the whole page was occupied with words. I read it quickly and grinned victoriously.

"This is the perfect start for that report! Who knew you were good with words" I giggled at my statement and he glared at me but then softened after a few moments.

"Are you saying that I'm illiterate?" Paul asked trying to sound hurt.

"No no no! That's not what I'm saying! I mean you were, uh, back then, when we were in el-" He cut me off by slapping my hand gently. Again, I blushed at the sudden contact.

We spent more hours trying to finish our report and at 8:30pm we stopped and just talked to each other, like the old times.

"So you're telling me that you keep chickening out when you're trying to break up with Ursula?" I asked him while lying down on my bed, bouncing a plastic ball in my hands.

"Yeah, it's like everytime I come up to her, I get slightly nervous. You know what Ursula's like? She'll probably go sulk around the corner and throw stuff at random people after I tell her that I'm breaking up with her." Paul explained to me while playing with the guitar on the seat in front of my dresser beside my bed.

"I just wanna go straight to her face and break up with her but I block out and end up saying that we're cooling off or something like that." Paul complained. I don't know why but I feel kind of relieved to know that Paul wanted to break up with Ursula.

"How long have you kept her on hold?" I asked him.

He simply replied, "Three months". I can't help but let out a chuckle while Paul just glanced over to me.

"It's just that after that long time you'd think she would've gotten the point of 'cooling off'" I said quoting "Cooling off'

"You know, it's fun talking to your again." Paul said.

"Really?" I was utterly shocked. Here my hopefully-bestfriend-to-be and the man of my dreams is actually telling me that I'm fun to be with.

"Yeah. It's like I feel comfortable saying anything to you." I quickly turned away for him to avoid noticing my flushed face.

"Well it's almost nine in the evening, I have to go. Reggie's probably with Maylene again." He sighed.

"Ohhh well, it was nice having you here again. Just like the old times right?" Paul nodded and made his way out of the door and then stopped for a bit.

"We should start hanging out more often" Dawn flushed a bright red tint at the thought of her and Paul doing everything.

"Wow, well thank you!" I said in my most cheerful mood.

**There you have it! Chapter 4! Lots of ikarishipping there.**

**Don't forget to read.**


	5. My Knight

**If in case any of you is a little bit confused with the plot so far, I'll break it down for you.**

**Dawn is your ordinary girl with the bubbly and cheerful personality but she changed from a happy-go-lucky teen to a struggling teen through the past year. She lost her best friend to some girl who bullies her every now and then. Her mom married a guy who hates her and hurts her. All she wants is to live her life back to the way it was before. No enemies. No stupid step-dad.**

**Paul is like your regular jock although unlike any other cool dudes, he was very mysterious and quiet. He used to be best friends with Dawn but during the previous year, their friendship has slowly degraded and eventually they lost connection and acted as if they don't even know each other anymore. Paul's dating Ursula. Well, at least that's what Ursula thinks. Three months ago, Paul "broke up" with Ursula but she took it as a "cool off" In the previous chapters, Paul and Dawn were assigned to be partners in some history report and they've started to work on it the other day at Dawn's place. **

**Paul's a bit OOC here and probably for the rest of the story so sorry about that. If you're thinking why Paul's thought are kind of un-Paul-ish of him, you see, Paul might be a quiet type of guy but even the quietest of all people are talkative but keep it to themselves. Best example of this, Paul.**

****

**DAWN'S POV**

"Okay, so tell us everything!" May squealed on the phone. Oh great, there they go again! Misty and May are nagging me into telling them what happened in my study "date" with Paul. First of all, it wasn't a date. It's just a doing-a-project-so-we-won't-fail thing I did with Paul.

"Spill everything that happened in your DATE with HIM!" Misty said, more like demanded.

"It wasn't a date! We were just doing our project and all." I insisted. Jeez, these two sure are naggy.

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever. Just tell us what happened? Unless, you're keeping something a secret from us. You two hooked up?" May said in a devilish voice. HOOK UP? Where the heck did that come from?

"HOOK UP? WE DID NOT HOOK UP! WE ARE NOT DATING! GUYS IT WAS JUST A PROJECT!" I shouted in the phone.

"Then why won't you tell us?" Misty asked in a hurt tone.

"Why? Do you have to know everything that happens in my life?" I asked.

"YES!" They both shouted so loud that I jumped a little and almost fell off my bed. These girls will surely do everything they can to get what they want. I guess I have no choice.

"So, he arrived at my house at around 5 or 5:15 and I-" I got cut off by May.

"WHAT WAS HE WEARING? DID HE LOOK HOT?" Oh great! What a question. Of course he's hot! HE'S PAUL FREAKING SHINJI!

"He was wearing this muscle sleeveless shirt and some knee-length shorts and a high-cut converse. Anyway, back to my sto-" This time is was Misty who cut me off.

"OH MY GOD! YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE! DID HE LOOK HOT?" These friends of mine are nuts. Very nuts.

"I guess so. Anyway, again, BACK TO MY STORY!" I shouted at them.

"Okay, okay! No need to shout." May reminded me. Like they weren't shouting at me when asking those questions.

"We had snacks first, orange juice and muffins and then we started the project and all those boring stuff. Nothing interesting. Is that what you guys want to hear?" I said to them.

"Oh come on! Didn't you guys talk? At least a formal conversation that DOESN'T have to do with school?" Misty asked. Why do they want to hear everything?

"We did." I simply said, "But it's nothing that you would be interested in."

"Yeah right. SPILL!" Misty commanded once again.

"Fine! He was telling me that he wanted to break up with his girlfriend, Ursula but she's too dense to even realize what he really meant about "break up". She'll be like, 'I'm totally good with cooling off' that dumbass." I chuckled a little at the way I mimicked Ursula.

"Oh my god! So he doesn't really like her!" May squealed. AGAIN.

"Would you please STOP SQUEALING? It's hurting my ears." I begged her.

"Sorry!" May said.

"What else did he tell you?" Misty asked.

"He said that it was fun talking to me again. Just like the old times." I said. I blushed a bit as I recalled the things he said to me last night.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" May said, trying her best not to squeal. Sigh.

"He also...told me...t-that we..." God, why am I stuttering? "We sh-should hang out more often" I finished. I blushed again, so hard that I could embarrass an apple or a tomato.

"Eeeep!" Oh great! Another squeal from May.

"MAY!" I shouted.

"Sorry." She said.

"Well, you should totally hang out with him! Maybe you'll be best friends again, just like the old times!" Misty said. I wish we were more...Wait, what? I did not just think that!

"You have no idea how happy I am for you!" May said in such loud voice.

"You really have no idea how happy May is. She ripped my pillow from squealing too much!" Misty complained.

"You guys had a sleepover without me?" Great.

"We didn't want to ruin your night with Paul so yeah" May explained.

"You gu-" But I was cut off with a loud bang from the downstairs. It sounded like a mug. Vince.

"I have to go guys! I'll call you later!" I said quickly and hung up, not even bothering to listen to what Misty and May were saying. What the hell is go-Oh crap! It's nine in the morning and I forgot to make breakfast for Vince! I guess, I got caught up with talking to Misty and May that I lost track of time and forgot to cook breakfast. It's his fault. Can't he make his own breakfast?

"DAWN!" Vince shouted angrily. Oh crap I am in trouble!

"Do you mind keeping it down? We have neighbours!" I shouted at him.

"I'M SORRY IF MY FILTHY STEP DAUGHTER DIDN'T MAKE ME BREAKFAST! IT'S NINE IN THE MORNING YOU IDIOT!" Vince complained, still shouting angrily. That bastard!

"Can't mom do it?" I asked.

"YOUR MOTHER IS AT WORK! STOP BEING SUCH A STUBBORN COUCHPOTATO AND MAKE ME SOMETHING TO EAT!" he shouted again. What's up with people shouting today? It's a Saturday! They should be enjoying the weekend, not wasting their voice.

"Why can't you do it? You have hands! You use them!" I shouted.

"AWW IS MY LITTLE STEP DAUGHTER TOO LAZY TO MAKE HER DADDY SOME BREAKFAST!" I gagged at the work 'daddy'. He may be married to my mom but he is so not my dad and he never will be. Not even in a million years!

"Oh please, little shithead." I muttered. As soon as the last word came out of my mouth, I regretted it. Me and my big mouth, what was I thinking? Before I even had time to close my eyes, I was lifted from the ground by my shirt's collar and was thrown back down hitting the floor very hard with my butt. I winced from the pain.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I shouted at Vince.

"What did you just call me? Shithead?" Vince said angrily. Crap! He went towards me and I braced myself for the next beating. What kind of dude is this? Hurting a girl? Seriously?

**PAUL'S POV**

At least, this morning's a great one. Gary, Ash and I were talking online last night and they kept asking stupid questions about my study "date" with Troublesome. "Are you going out with Dawn?", "Did you do it?" WTF? "Did she kiss you?" I'm guessing they don't know what study means. I was just helping her do our history project together, that's all. No physical contact or whatever. And I thought girls were naggy and annoying.

Every Saturday, I do my usual routine. I wake up at eight and go for an hour jog around our village. Did I mention that Troublesome and I were fellow villagers? I guess I did. After I did my hour-jog, I went back to the road home. I smiled as I passed Troublesome's house and stopped for a while as I recalled my night or afternoon with her. That smile faded as soon as I heard a loud banging of what I think was a frame and someone screaming in pain. I looked around to see if someone was in trouble then I realized...Crap, Troublesome's in trouble! That sounded weird but whatever. I quickly rushed to her gate and jumped on their low fence and knocked on their wooden door so hard and so fast that my knuckles went red.

"Troublesome? Dawn? Are you there? Are you alright?" I asked. It's not ordinary for me to worry like this but we're talking about my best friend here! Well, best-friend-again-to-be.

"P-Paul?" I heard her call me weakly. Her voice was muffled and seems to me that she's crying. Great, what the hell happened?

"Vince what the hell! Y-you're hurting m-me? It's just breakfast!" I heard Dawn yell. Hmm...Vince? What the heck is he doing hurting Dawn?

"JUST BREAKFAST? YOU MADE ME MISS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY AND YOU'LL JUST SAY, "IT'S JUST BREAKFAST"?" I heard an angry man shout whom I assume is "Vince" The nerve of that guy to yell and hurt Troublesome!

"You should've made your own break-AHHH! What the heck?" I heard Dawn yell. I can't take this anymore. I barged into the house and found Dawn sitting on the floor sobbing, back against the couch, and was badly bruised at the side of her mouth, her hair looked bad and her wrists were red. Probably caused my Vince's unbelievably strong grip. In front of her, I saw Vince crouched down to her level and was gripping her shirt's collar. How dare he hurt her? I wasn't able to control myself anymore and before I could even stop myself, I tackled Vince to the floor and punched him a couple of times.

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT DAWN! Seriously, man, you hurt a girl? Are you that low? Man up!" I spat at him.

"OH PLEASE LIKE Y-" I cut him off with another punch and said, "TALK AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD!" He stood up and stomped angrily to his room upstairs. As soon as he was gone, I turned to the crying and shaking blue-haired girl on the floor. I walked up to her and she, unexpectedly, hugged me and cried on my chest.

"It's okay, Troublesome, it's okay." I stroked her hair and said soothing words to her in an attempt to comfort her. I stood up and took her hand to help her stand up but she wobbled and shaked so much that she lost her balance, thankfully, I caught her and carried her to her room. Once we were in her room, I placed her on her bed and sat next to her, still stroking her hair.

"Are you alright now? Do you need anything?" I said softly. I never knew I could talk like that.

"I-I'm f-fi-i-ne." She choked out. I went inside her bathroom to look for something to treat her. I found a small, purple hand towel folded neatly on the silver rack in her bathroom and soaked it in cold water. Once I was done with the soaking, I went back to her, sat her up and dabbed the piece of cloth softly on her bruise next to her mouth. I clutched her hand and squeezed it to assure her that it's alright.

"T-that hurts." She said. No duh. I lightened my touch and after a few minutes of dabbing, I went back to the bathroom and soaked the towel in cold water again. I looked for something that could treat the wounds on her wrists and came across a bottle of alcohol and some bandages. I'm sorry, Dawn, but this is going to sting. I got the towel, a new towel, the bandages and a bottle of alcohol and went back to her bed to treat her.

"At least you stopped crying" I smirked at her. Hey, I may be helping her but I'm still Paul. The guy who doesn't smile a lot. The mysterious guy. The ar...

"I'm not a baby anymore, Paul. I don't cry on something like this for the whole day." She said to me smiling. It's good to see that smile on her face again.

"Pinch me if you want, this is gonna hurt." I said. I put some alcohol on the dry towel and dabbed it on her wrists. She shut her eyes tight trying not to yelp in pain. After I was done, I wrapped her wounds in some bandages and resumed to treating her incredibly large bruise.

"Told you it was gonna hurt." I said while dabbing her big bruise.

"I didn't complain, did I?" She raised her eyebrow and smirked at me. That smirk is my thing, stop copying!

"I guess you didn't." There was a few moments of silence between us but I decided to break it. "Is he always like this? Vince? Is he...always hurting you and beating you up?" I asked in a concerned tone. Now that's something you don't hear everyday.

"Yeah but today's probably one of those bad days when he'll punch me in the face. No big deal" She said trying to sound okay with it. She sure isn't convincing me.

"No big deal? You could've gotten more injuries down there" I said. I don't know with her but if that guy messes with her again, it'll be the last of him.

"I didn't, thanks to you." She said in a shy manner and smiled sheepishly at me. I smiled back at her. Not a smirk, not a grin, just a plain toothless smile. I can smile once in a while. I'm not a total sad shell who couldn't even curl both corners of my mouth at the same time.

"Yeah, thanks to me." And once again, I smirked.

"I see you're still the same arrogant Paul I used to hang out with." She said with a chuckle.

"And you're still the troublesome girl who always gets into trouble...Troublesome." I smirked bigger while trying to hold in a laugh at the same time. Dawn's smile faded once again. Come on it was just a joke!

"I missed hanging out with you Paul. We were completely out of each other's side for like one whole year..." She trailed off, sadness deep in her eyes. I looked at her, the smirk vanishing from my face. I did miss her.

"I'm sorry. For avoiding you, that is. I guess I lost myself. With all the fame, Ursula and everything that has happened to me, I didn't realize how big my head was." I said. She smiled at me once more. Girls are so unpredictable.

"You do have a big head." She said. Not you too? Even Reggie says that!

"Not you, too!" I scowled.

"Relax, I was joking. It's better than being called small-headed anyway." She has a point there. I'd rather have a big head than have a very tiny head. At least big-headed people are smart. Einstein is one!

"You look funny." I teased her. Again, I'm still Paul Shinji, Master in teasing and insulting.

"Plumhead!" She stuck out her tongue at me in a childish manner. I hate being called Plumhead! I guess round one goes to Dawn.

"Berryhead."

"Jerk"

"Dawn"

"Paul..wait, what?" She asked me in a confused manner. Obviously we don't know what we're talking about.

"Gotcha"

"Whatever." She giggled lightly. Another silent moment made its way and just as I was completely lost in thought, I heard a low grumbling.

"Sorry. I haven't eaten anything today yet." She said nervously while twirling a lock of blue hair around her index finger.

"I'll go home and change. You go change too. Meet me at 11:30 in that new restaurant down the block." I instructed her and grabbed my jacket.

"You mean "Green's Gourmet"?" She asked me. I honestly don't know the name of the restaurant I was talking about.

"Uh..yeah." I said unsurely and went out of the room but not before she muttered a "thanks" to me. I smiled. YES I SMILED and left.

**DAWN'S POV**

I don't know with you guys but I think Paul just asked me out...in a way that he doesn't know that he asked me out anyway. So what should I wear? Hmm. I dug through my closet once again looking for something good to wear and came across something I thought was pretty. It was a pink long-sleeved shirt with a blue and white penguin, which was cute by the way, and was doing a peace sign. This shirt reminded me of the TV anime I loved called Pokemon. Dang I wish they were real!

I went to my bottoms portion in the cabinet looking for something cute to wear and found this really cute jean shorts so that was definitely in the list! I grabbed my pink knee-high boots and black knee-high socks to go with them and changed. Of course, I showered before. I'm not that filthy like Vince said, you know!

"_All eyes on me when I walk in  
>No question that this girl's a ten<br>Don't hate me coz I'm beau-"_

I answered the phone. No kidding. "Hey May!" Yes, Pretty Girl Rock is my ringtone for her and NO you do NOT want to know the reason for that.

"Hey, Dawn! There's this new salad restaurant down the block called "Green's Gourmet" and I was wondering if you want to try it out with me. I hope you don't mind if I bring Ash with me though." Figures. Wait, that's the restaurant Paul was talking about earlier!

"Funny you should ask. Um, you see, uh, I'm kinda going there today at 11:30 but I'm with someone." I said nervously, the red tint creeping on my cheeks.

"Really? You have a date? I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL ME, DAWN BERLITZ! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!" May said, well shouted, in a hurt tone.

"We are friends. Besides he just asked me to go there a while ago since I didn't eat breakfast again thanks to Vince." I gagged at the name "Vince". He 'urks' me so much that even his name sounds wrong. Sorry to all nice Vince's out there. No offense meant here for other Vince's.

"Vince hurt you again? The nerve of that guy! I am so coming there and beat his ass for hurting my best friend that jerk!" May shouted at the phone, nearly deafening me from the volume of her voice.

"Wait, why isn't Misty not coming?" I asked.

"Oh, she's off at Gary's house to do their history report." And with that, I smirked. Paul's habits sure are rubbing on me.

"Ohhh I see" A mischievous glint appeared in my eyes.

"Well anyway, who's your date?" she asked. HE IS NOT MY DATE. SHEESH!

"HE'S NOT MY DATE! WE'RE JUST TWO FRIENDS HANGING OUT TOGETHER THAT'S ALL!" I shouted at her. I could tell from the sound that made that she winced from the volume of my voice this time. I owe her an apology later.

"No need to shout, Dawn." She said.

"Sorry. Anyway, you'll find out later so I don't see why I have to tell you now." I said.

"Right. I gotta go. Ash is, um, waiting, I think, hopefully not complaining about what took me so long to fix myself and..." May went on and on. I cut her off though.

"Go! You have a date!" I reminded her.

"Right. See you later!" She hung up. I slid on my shirt, buttoned my jean shorts up and slipped on my black socks and pink boots. I grabbed my phone and a small leather handbag with my money in it. I looked at the time, no need to worry, I'm not tha-HOLY CRAP IT'S 11:25! I panicked slightly. Just slightly. Okay I panicked a lot. I banged the door shut, raced down the stairs, ignoring the asshole red-haired guy on my couch and ran down the streets to place where Paul and I were supposed to meet.

Oh crap! This can't be good. I cannot be lost. I'm pretty sure I ran the right road! Stupid panicking vibes!

"You lost?" I stiffened at the voice. It sounded...weird? Then I heard a snort then a loud chuckle. I turned around to see the same plumhead who saved me a while ago. I glared at him.

"What? You think I was some rapist sneaking up behind you?" He smirked. I just glared at him and softened a little. Just a little as I looked at what he was wearing. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved hoodie and brown knee-length shorts and on his shoes were black vans. I still can't understand why he could even look hot in the simplest of clothes!

"It's not nice sneaking up on people you know." I said.

"Yeah. But then again, it's fun teasing you." He said quietly, a smirk still plastered on his face. That smirk never gets away from his face doesn't it?

"Let's just go." I said and walked to the left only to find out that he was going the other direction.

"You're going the wrong direction." He said, slightly annoyed but still attempting not to laugh at me and my...unawareness? I ran towards him and after about five minutes of walking, we arrived in a two-story building. It had green walls and a white fence surrounded it. We went inside the two opened doors. The restaurant wasn't that full and yet it wasn't that empty. Somewhere between the middle. It was just so lovely! The tables weren't scattered in the middle unlike other restaurants. They were glued, if it's the word to use, to the walls and instead of regular wooden seats, they made use of red soft couches. So in short, the middle of the restaurant was totally empty except for a dance floor and a disco ball hanging on the ceiling. Probably for night purposes, although it's kinda weird to think that something as classy as Green's Gourmet, wherein only salads are served, can be transformed into a night club with all the dancing and nightlife things to do.

"This place is so pretty!" I squealed making Paul flinch. Obviously, he's still not used to having girls squeal around him.

"Would you please stop squealing? It's annoying!" He growled at me. I stuck out my tongue childishly at him as a waitress approached us.

"Table for how many, Ma'm and Sir?" She asked us in a formal way.

"Table for two please." I said excitedly as she led us to an empty and clean table at the corner. She gave us our menus and I started looking at the names of the food in disbelief. I can't even understand a word this menu says. I looked over to Paul who clearly wasn't having trouble with picking his food.

"Uhm, I can't understand the menu." I giggled softly. He just smirked at me and pointed to a picture of a salad that looked extremely tasty.

"That's a good salad. It's fruit salad. You should try it." He suggested.

"Okay then it's the fruit salad for me!" I said victoriously.

"Dawn? Paul?" a certain familiar voice called us. May.

"Hey May!" I greeted her as she and Ash went in front of us. Ash's arm was around her shoulder while May's hand was around hi waist.

"What's Paul doing here?" Ash asked.

"Why do you care, Ketchum?" He scoffed.

"Nothing. Just surprised that's all" He laughed nervously waving his hands to defend him then a thought struck him. "You're dating Dawn?"

"No. We're here as friends." Paul said.

"Dawn! What happened to you?" May asked quite loudly upon seeing my bruises. Thank goodness I'm wearing a long-sleeve shirt so it covered the bandages around my wrists.

"Vince happened." I felt Paul's fists clench upon hearing the name. "But Paul here came barging inside my house in the right time though."

"That's good." May said.

"Yo Paul! Would you mind if me and my lovely lady here sit with you guys?" Ash asked, a goofy grin on his face.

"Whatever." Paul said waving his hand carelessly as he transferred to sit next to me to give some space for the other couple.

We ordered our food and after about ten minutes or so the food arrived. That was fast considering that they have to serve four salad bowls at a time for all of us. We just chatted about stuff you guys won't probably care about and the day ended with Paul fetching me to my house.

"Sorry about May, she's just...really loud but she could be nice." I said to Paul who just shrugged carelessly.

"Here we are. If Vince attacks you again, feel free to call me." He said and I nodded.

"Thanks again. See you in school!" I gave him a quick hug and went inside my house. I could've sworn when I looked at him one last time, there was a slight pink shade on his cheeks. Paul blushes!

**END OF CHAPTER**

**So how'd you guys like it? Please Review and I'll keep you updated as soon as I can.**


	6. Mayhem

**This author's thing is probably gonna be long so if you don't want to read it, go ahead with the story.**

**Hopefully you guys will like this chapter more! I put in a bit more fluff in here and some OOC-ness in Paul. But hey, men may sometimes be quiet on the outside but it probably means that they're mind is crowded with thoughts.**

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews, Sapphiet, AnimexLuver4ever, rin916, Raveon21now22, RosieShiba, Knouge4ever, and Cecilia Beth. I can assure you that I will make the next chapters more creative.**

**This is probably unlike me to publicly message a reviewer but you don't have to read it if you don't like it:**

**Dear Anonymous reviewer, not that I'm trying to pick a fight or anything but please understand that I'm trying my best to actually make a good story and all your criticizing in every chapter is not helping with that. I know that this story has a few flaws but I let my mind and my imagination decide what to write. It's not that I don't like their personalities in the anime, it's just that I feel like it's good to let others imagine what they would be like with a slight personality change. Also, I do not like the fact that you actually waste your time to point out every single flaw in almost every single line or something. Every story has its flaws but you don't see people pointing out every single one of them. If you don't like the way the story was constructed then I suggest for you to not read it at all. No offense meant though, I'm just trying to make a point here. **

**-xOOOx-**

**Falling Chapter 6  
><strong>**DAWN'S POV**

I'm a regular teenager and regular teenagers don't feel like going back to school after a long vacation but then again there are our grades, the annoying and naggy parents or in my case my mom and then there's the almost overdue assignments.

You guessed it! I was enjoying the whole Friday and Saturday that I forgot, again, to do my Calculus and Chemistry homework. I know the school's favouring us by giving us long weekends but seriously? Giving us homeworks longer than the weekend? What kind of weekend is that? That's the annoying part of school. They always give long homeworks or complicated projects during long weekends. I see they're trying to pull us away from the fun.

Anyway, these aren't really the only homeworks I'm supposed to work on. I'm also 'helping' my mom, 'forced' is actually the right word for that. I'm forced to make designs for her fashion company. I'm supposed to make a design from some 33-year old lady who's getting married. The theme? Roses and Unicorns. What the hell! Those kinds of wedding only appear in fairytales and I for one don't believe in them because FAIRYtales are just another one of those crappy love stories that will never come true. There's this "princess" and the "prince", they fall in love then one of them gets hurt physically or emotionally then there's this factor that causes them to separate but in the end they get married and live happily ever after. Those kinds of love stories only appear in movies or books or novels. I'm seventeen and I still don't have a boyfriend. I had my first kiss when I was sixteen though. It wasn't that romantic actually. We were playing spin the bottle over a May's place and they made me kiss some drunk guy. It sucked. So I guess you can say that I haven't had a proper first kiss.

Did I mention I have another assignment in school? Well, as part of the club in school where you design for events like our upcoming senior's dance in less than eight months, I was assigned to sketch some decorations and the theme for it. My life is so stressful! I seriously need a break. Then again, if I take a break, none of these would be finished. I need to call a friend.

I dialled May's number but to my disappointment, her answer machine answered for her, _"Hello. This is May. If I don't know you or you're another one of those perverts messing with ladies, please get the hell off my number and if you're my friend please leave a message."_ That is one long answering machine message. I decided not to leave a message, we'll see each other tomorrow anyway and besides she's probably cramming right now.

Next I dialled Misty's number and thankfully she answered.

"Hi Dawn!" Her cheerful voice answering through the other end of the line.

"I'm bored. Can you talk?" I asked her, hoping that she wasn't busy or anything.

"Sorry, Dawn but I'm kinda running an errand for my sisters right now. You know how stubborn they are when it comes to doing chores." I sighed sadly at this.

"Oh, well, sorry for disturbing you, see you tomorrow!" I said as I hung up.

Who else is there? I'm pretty sure Zoey doesn't have time right now. She always goes to family trips every Sunday. I don't think calling her right now is a good thing. I remember the last time I called her on a Sunday and her little cousins were like, "Hey is that Dawn-ie?" "It's the blue-haired girl!" "Can I talk to her?" "Is she the one your boyfriend calls Dee-dee?" Not a very good memory.

I could call Kenny but then again I rather not. He's always playing video games or yelling at his sister whenever I call him. Ash is a good choice but he's probably with May right now or cramming too or just eating a whole fridge. Gary is decent to talk to on the phone but he's probably doing some errands for his grandpa. I could call Drew but we're not that close. Ursula is definitely a no. Hmm...who else is there? Then, one name popped in my head...PAUL. I hope he's not busy unlike the others.

Just as I was about to dial his number, my message tone played only to receive a message from no other than Paul.

It says: _"Troublesome. You got time to talk?" _Even in text messages he's still stern and firm.

I replied him by saying: _"I was just about to call you. Call me :)" _I like smileys. Explained by my bubbly and cheerful character. Ten seconds after I hit send, my phone started ringing.

"_Never should've told you that I fell in love  
>Coz you threw me right around and threw me down and now I can't get up<br>Let's get one thing straight  
>You're gonna regret that you left me"<em>

I purposely finished that chorus part of the song "Life of the Party" since I really loved it and then I picked it up.

"Hey Paul!" I said.

"Hello Dawn." His voice was emotionless, as usual.

"What made you call me?" I asked him.

"I was bored. Doing homework is boring. I figured that talking to someone is probably a good idea." He explained.

"Same here. Actually I'm doing the extra work my mom was given by her boss. Really stressful. After that I have to do the drafts for the designs for our school dance and then there's the calculus homework and that stupid chemistry homework and now I feel like I'm going berserk with all the things those old people gave me to do." I finally stopped my rant. I could just imagine Paul's face right now after hearing me rant to him on the phone.

"Will you relax? It's one in the afternoon, there's plenty of time to do that. You should really chill out and enjoy yourself for once." Paul said to me.

"I'm sorry. It's just the work people give me is getting on my nerves. I mean seriously! I had a headache last night and all I wanted to do today is sleep in but noooo! My mom just had to wake me up at eight to ask for my help in her work and then there's Vince to cook food for! I don't wanna end up getting beat up badly again like yesterday. And now, I'm freaking out! I'm freaking out so much that I could pull all my hair off if I try!" I said, my voice getting louder and louder by the end of my rant.

"Dawn! Just relax. You shouldn't stress yourself. Take a deep breath or go for a walk or something. I always do that when I'm stressed or when I'm mad at our football coach or when the team loses a game or when I find Reggie making out with his girlfriend or when I see Ash stealing our cookies or when Gary calls me a 'single jock who would never be married' or when Ursula calls me." Wow, I never knew Paul had a talkative side.

"Uhh, you sure have a lot of problems." I pointed out.

"Hn." Was the only response I got. Typical Paul.

"So...how are you?" I asked him trying my best to put up a conversation with him.

"I saw you yesterday. I think you know how I am right now." He said with a chuckle.

"I know. It's just that you're so moody sometimes that I don't even know if you're doing okay or if something has gone wrong." I explained to him.

"I guess you could say that I'm fine. Just bored." He said.

"Right." I simply said to him then there was about a minute of silence until he broke it.

"You wanna go get some ice cream with me?" he asked. I blushed unknowingly. Thank you mirror in front of me for helping me notice!

"Uh s-sure." I stammered. Why the heck did I stammer? Oh crap. He's on to me!

"Great. See you in the ice cream parlor at 1:30. Later" And with that, he hung up. I think he just asked me out. Before I knew it, I was once again digging in my closet to find anything nice to wear. After a few minutes of searching I found yellow and blue button-up shirt and a pair of white short shorts. I grabbed my yellow pair of converse and got out my beanie and my three golden clips. As soon as I was ready to go, I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs.

"Mom, I'm going to the ice cream parlor! Just call me if you need me!" I yelled through the house as I ran out. Please don't need me, I thought. After a few minutes of walking, I found Paul standing under the roof of the ice cream parlor wearing a similar shirt from yesterday except is was black.

"There you are." He said to me as a greeting.

"Yup! Here I am!" I smiled at him and headed inside the restaurant. We sat nearest the counter and read over the menus. The waiter came and took our orders. Paul had the banana split and I ordered the monster ice cream. After about five minutes, our food came and we started digging in.

"So...what made you ask me to go here?" I asked. Although to be honest, I really didn't care about his reason. Just being next to him made me feel comfortable. It took me long enough to realize that I was staring at his eyes, adoring the sternness of it, the onyx tint and the way those eyes said determination and power. Then there's his hair, the purple tint of it suited him well, actually I think he could dye his hair any colour and still look hot in it. I wonder what he'll look like as a red head or a raven-haired guy just like Ash or a brunette or a blond. I slightly brought my gaze downwards seeing those soft lips. I wonder how it would feel to kiss Paul. I wonder if it feels ecstatic. I bet kissing him is like seeing the pretty colours of the fireworks, lighting up the night sky. I could imagine me kissing him, the wind blowing our blue and purple locks in perfect rhythm, the leaves dancing around us, the birds singing for us and the-

"Dawn?"

And the waves crashing beneath our feet, the sun smiling down towards us, th-

"DAWN! Troublesome! Snap out of it, damn it!" Paul roared at me. I flinched at the sudden loudness of his voice.

"Huh, what?" I asked obliviously.

"You've been, uh, staring, at me for the past three minutes. Um, your ice cream's, uh, starting to m-melt." He stuttered nervously. I think I was just drooling over him. Crap this is not good! What is wrong with you, Dawn? Get a hold of yourself!

"Sorry about that. I was, um, deep in thought! Yeah, deep in thought!" I said nervously while scratching the back of my head.

He stared at me then shrugged and resumed to eating his banana split. Even when he's eating he's cute. Okay, it's official. I obviously like him. Then again, the way he saved me from Vince's beatings, stopping Ursula dead on her tracks when she was insulting me, opening up to me...oh crap I think I love him!

"Dawn, you're, uh, spacing out again. Y-you're kind of freaking me out." He said, again, nervously. Paul's nervous? Freaked out? Wow! I must be something!

"Sorry." I muttered in response.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked me a little bit concerned.

"Nothing important! No need to worry!" I said. He just shrugged his head, once again, and ate the last scoop of his ice cream.

"Well, you're gonna have to finish that. I'm not going to pay for something you didn't eat." He said. Did I hear him correct? He's paying for the ice creams! He could be a gentleman after all!

"Oh! Uh, right!" I said while taking scoops of ice cream to finish before Paul gets impatient and leaves without me. After about ten minutes, I finished eating and Paul paid. We took a quick stroll down the park and went to my house.

As Paul was about to leave, I gave him a hug and whispered, "Thanks for the day" before I let him go and went back inside the house.

**PAUL'S POV**

Dang it! Just as I was about to start the week great, the coach sends me a text that says,

"_Paul, we're gonna have football practice today. New season's coming earlier than expected. If you wanna win, you're gonna have to train your asses off!"_

Great! Usually, the football season doesn't start till November, it's just July! I can't believe we're gonna have to practice and train...under the rain. Stop being stereotypical, I may be a guy but I definitely hate getting dirty.

"We're gonna start football training today? I thought football season wasn't going to start for another six months?" I heard Ash complain behind me.

"Coach Dustin texted this morning and said that football season's starting as early as October." Gary explained to him.

"Still gives no reason why we should start training now." Ash said.

"He said that he wanted us to win and to do that, we have to work our asses off till we can't even use them anymore." Gary said then added, "his words. Not mine."

"I don't really mind having football practice. It's just those cocky cheerleaders who annoy me. I'd rather hang out with the water guy the whole day than be cheered by snotty women in slutty outfits." I said quietly. I heard Ash and Gary snicker behind me.

I abruptly stopped and turned around. "What are you laughing at?" I glared at them.

"Speaking of cheerleaders, I bet Ursula's gonna be ALL OVER you the whole time." OH CRAP! Why did Ash have to bring that out?

"Don't even think about it." I said coldly, still holding my glare to them before turning around and continue walking the impossibly long corridor.

"Paulie!" Oh great! She's here!

"What?" I glared at her coldly making her shiver a little but she shrugged it off.

"We're gonna start practicing for the cheer offs today which means we get to practice the same day you and your team practice for football which means that we'll get to see each other more!" She squealed at me in happiness. What is up with women and squealing?

It's now or never. Now's my chance to break up with her. Paul, you better not mess it up! I looked down at her, my gaze still cold, and simply said, "We're through."

"We're cooling off remember?" How dumb can she get! THIS IS ANNOYING!

"No! I mean, we're through! As in not cooling off, not dating! We're through okay? I don't love you and come to think of it, I never did. I never liked the way you treated my friends and how were such a spoiled brat. I am not letting you ruin the last piece of patience that I have or else!" Ursula seemed to be a bit dumfounded at me for breaking up with her. It felt right though.

"Oh...okay. Is it another girl?" I shook my head.

"Is it because I'm annoying?" I nodded my head vigorously as if my whole life depended on him.

"Am I not that pretty?" she said louder this time that it drew attention.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP PLEASE? DAMN IT!" I lowered my voice this time noticing the weird stares from the other people but ignored them and said, "Ursula, you're a great girl (not really) and you're pretty too but to be honest with you, you changed me. You changed me into something I'm not. I guess I'm just not that happy with you anymore. Believe me when I say that you're an awesome cheerleader and I know that deep down inside those unbelievably numerous layers of make up, you're a great person just trying to find herself." Note to self, never give pep talks anymore. Those are for girls! This kind of talk is very Un-Paul-ish.

"Paul...hope we can still be friends" And with that Ursula walked away with Lea and Clare.

"You did great, man!" Ketchum patted me on the shoulder, a little hard though.

"Watch it!" I glared at him while rubbing my right shoulder.

"Our little Paul's growing up! He finally broke up with her." Gary said pretending to wipe away a tear. Weirdos.

**NORMAL POV**

Ursula slammed her locker shut in the girl's changing room. Only her, Lea and Clare were there while the other girls started doing laps for their gym class.

"Cheer up, Ursula! There are many other hot guys out there. Hotter than Paul perhaps!" Clare said trying to comfort her friend.

"Yeah and besides, it's not your loss, it's Paul's loss for breaking up with a girl like you!" Lea said.

"This is Dawn's fault!" Ursula suddenly blurted out while banging on her locker.

"What are you talking about? She didn't do anything, right?" Clare wondered while Lea just shrugged.

"Wrong. Those two have been hanging out together the whole weekend thanks to that stupid history project! Did you not see the way he defended that little slutty asshole last time? I knew it. It's always her. Well, guess what, if she lays a hand on my Paul, it will be the end of her!" Ursula said angrily, her eyes narrowing.

"Technically, Paul's not yours anymore since you guys broke up but I think I should stop talking." Lea abruptly halted as soon as she saw Ursula's deadly eyes fixated on her.

"Not to be against your or anything but Paul and Dawn used to be best friends. I guess they took the partnering up to their advantage and hung out for a while." Clare said, carefully choosing her words as not to aggravate the already angered Ursula.

"Ursula, what are you planning to do?" Lea asked nervously. She was nervous because for one, an angered Ursula is something you do not want to put up with and two, Ursula just comes out with the meanest tricks for revenge. Not a really good opponent.

Ursula just smirked.

**DAWN'S POV**

I literally skipped through the hallway to the cafeteria where May and Misty were currently looking at our famous school gossiper's blog from May's pink macbook. I saw them laughing. Well, actually almost a lot of people in the cafeteria were giggling or laughing or shocked. Wonder what kind of gossip Aly put up on her blogsite.

"Hey guys!" I greeted my two best friends cheerfully.

"Hey" They said not even bothering to look at me as they were completely distracted by what Aly has put up on her blog.

"What are you guys laughing at?" I asked them curiously.

"Check this out!" Misty said gesturing for me to sit down near the laptop. What I read surprised me though. Her blog said:

"_Earlier this morning, I found Paul, the famous quarterback and Ursula, the popular cheerleader arguing down the hall. It seems as if Paul broke up with her saying and I quote __'You changed me into something I'm not. I guess I'm just not that happy with you anymore.'__ Paul said that Ursula was a great girl and a great cheerleader and that beneath all those extremely many layers of make up is a good soul trying to find her way out. That's something you don't expect the famous football hottie to say right? The mysterious and quiet Paul suddenly shatters the heart of another, let's say, fangirl. Ursula then ends the conversation by saying that she hopes of them still becoming friends and walks away. THE WALK OF SHAME. Ursula, the shameful walker. Hahaha no offense to the best cheerleader though."_

Below the article, I saw a picture of Paul just looking at her while she walked away. His face said no emtion but his eyes bore triumph and victory. At least, he doesn't have to put up with her anymore.

"Ursula, the shameful walker. That's gonna be a good reputation." Misty said as May and I burst out laughing.

"I think this is the first time she got owned by a boy. Usually, she's the dumper not the dumpee. Serves her right!" I joyfully exclaimed as I eyed the picture once again.

"Bratty cheerleader finally got dished with what she's been throwing to us and other students for the past years. Wanna make a toast?" May said.

"I'd be honoured!" I said while Misty nodded.

"For...I really don't know. Let's just toast without the speeches." May chuckled as she raised her shake up while Misty and I both raised our shakes up too.

**PAUL'S POV**

"Shinji! You have to see this!" Gary said waving for me to come over to the table. Great, just as I was about to get lunch.

"What is it? Hurry up. I don't want to be the last eating my lunch again." I complained to them. I saw Ash laughing at some blog post, Aly, the school's hugest gossiper and another one of those annoying stalkers who just couldn't keep their mouth shut, posted in her website.

"What's that?" I asked them not bothering to look at it as I carelessly took Ketchum's sandwich and ate it.

"You owe me a sandwich." He said while I just continued eating, he continued talking though, "This article's about you."

"Again. What's it about this time?" I can't believe that Aly. She always gossips about me even the simplest of all things! Like how I accidentally broke the graduated cylinder in the lab or when I slipped into the school's swimming pool and other stuff I don't want to talk about.

"It's about you and Ursula." Gary said. I gobbled down the sandwich and pushed Ash out of his seat to look at the article. I read:

"_Earlier this morning, I found Paul, the famous quarterback and Ursula, the popular cheerleader arguing down the hall. It seems as if Paul broke up with her saying and I quote __'You changed me into something I'm not. I guess I'm just not that happy with you anymore.'__ Paul said that Ursula was a great girl and a great cheerleader and that beneath all those extremely many layers of make up is a good soul trying to find her way out. That's something you don't expect the famous football hottie to say right? The mysterious and quiet Paul suddenly shatters the heart of another, let's say, fangirl. Ursula then ends the conversation by saying that she hopes of them still becoming friends and walks away. THE WALK OF SHAME. Ursula, the shameful walker. Hahaha no offense to the best cheerleader though."_

Below the article, I saw a picture of me just looking at Ursula while she walked away.

"You call this news?" I said to both Ash and Gary in a bored tone. I, honestly, don't care about the news even if it's about me.

Beside me, Ash was bursting into fits of laughter and said, "Ursula, the shameful walker!"

"Such a shame to be dejected by the football quarterback! Did you see the look on her face when Paul broke up with her? PRICELESS!" Gary said laughing wildly as well.

"I don't see anything funny about it." I said, failing to hide a smirk. I have to admit, Ursula's facial expression while I was talking to her was a bit funny. It's like she saw something unbelievable! Like a dog eating a ghost or something.

"Yeah right. You're smirking. You find it funny" Gary said.

"Whatever" I simply said.

The cafeteria was just like it normally was. People talking, lower level students playing with their food and other things. We were interrupted by the loud banging of the door. Guess who came in? The shameful walker. But she wasn't heading towards her usual table with her two friends, she wasn't even walking or rather stomping towards me, instead, not to my surprise, she came barging in towards Troublesome's table.

"What do you wa-OW! WHAT THE HELL! WHY'D YOU SLAP ME?" Dawn yelled holding her right cheek which Ursula just slapped. Crap. The people in the cafeteria were put to silence as they all drew their attention to the fighting girls.

"YOU'RE THE REASON WHY PAUL BROKE UP WITH ME!" she yelled at Dawn. What the hell? Dawn has nothing to do with this!

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO MESS UP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PAUL!" she shouted back. Brace yourselves, I sense a chick fight coming up.

"YOU JUST HAD TO HANG OUT WITH HIM THE PAST WEEKEND!" Ursula yelled as Lea and Clare backed up behind her, ready to defend her if anything goes wrong. Misty and May did the same.

"FYI WE HAD TO DO OUR HISTORY REPORT! DON'T BLAME ME FOR BEING THE BITCH YOU ARE RIGHT NOW! IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT YOU'RE BEING THE SLUTTY GIRLFRIEND THAT BROUGHT PAUL TO THE DECISION TO BREAK UP WITH YOU!" When did Dawn learn to talk like that?

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A SLUT?" Ursula yelled in disbelief.

"I'D SAY NO BUT THAT WOULD BE LYING!" Dawn shouted.

"AT LEAST I'M NOT THE ASSHOLE WHORE WHO TRIES TO STEAL OTHER PEOPLE'S BOYFRIENDS!" Ursula shouted.

"I'M NOT EVEN DATING PAUL! WE'RE JUST TWO BEST FRIENDS HANGING OUT TOGETHER! WHEN WAS THAT ILLEGAL?" Dawn retorted angrily.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY PAUL!" Ursula fumed. 'My Paul'? We broke up about four hours ago.

"WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME THAT I CAN'T HANG OUT WITH MY BEST FRIEND? HE'S NOT YOURS! AS FAR AS I COULD REMEMBER, HE BROKE UP WITH YOU BECAUSE HE WASN'T HAPPY WITH THE WAY YOU TREAT HIM! YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FOR BLAMING YOUR WRONG ACTIONS TO OTHER PEOPLE! YOU AND YOUR BIG HEAD!" Dawn growled angrily at her. Right now, you could hear the "ooohs" from the crowd. This fight is intense.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU DAMN WHORE!" Before anyone could even stop Ursula, she tackled Dawn to the ground and pulled at her hair.

"WHAT THE HELL GET OFF ME YOU HOE!" Dawn shouted. I couldn't take it anymore. Those girls are pulling their heads off because of me and I'm just sitting here watching disbelief. That's it! I walked towards the two girls and tried to break them up with the help of Ash and Gary, of course. I do NOT want to get caught in the middle of a chick fight without those two.

"Dawn, Ursula! Stop it!" I spat out but they ignored me and continued to assult each other.

"Dawn!" I yelled at her but I guess she didn't hear me.

"Ursula!" Likewise, she didn't hear me. I have had enough of it.

"DAWN! URSULA! GET OFF EACH OTHER DAMN IT!" I shouted as loud as I could and they finally broke apart and looked at me in confusion. Just as I was about to speak, the principal, "coincidentally", went inside the cafeteria only to see Dawn and Ursula with messy hair and me in between them.

"BERLITZ! SHINJI! WILLIAMS! WHAT HAPPENED IN HERE? MY OFFICE THIS INSTANT!" The principal said. I was the one trying to be nice and break those two up before anything worse happens and now I'm heading to the principal's office? Note to self: Never get in between chick fights. I should really make a list about those notes I've been making.

Once we were at the principal's office, Mrs. Pilpher spoke to us or more like roared, "EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED!"

Dawn and Ursula both yelled at each other trying to reason out to Mrs. Pilpher while I just sulked back into my seat and watched them in amusement. Genetically, boys are stronger than girls but when you fight with a girl, you're dead. Exactly the reason why I decided not to talk anyway. That is until...

"Shinji, explain!" Mrs. Pilpher demanded. I involuntarily gulped painfully with the look she was giving me and to add more pressure, both Dawn and Ursula were glaring at me.

"Umm, i-it's about..." Now I'm stuttering great. "Y-you see, there's this blog that Aly posted about me and Ursula a-and they, um, they had a fight about me and started pulling each other's heads off." I rushed at the last seven words and quickly looked down.

"What is wrong with students here in Melbourne? You people are too personal! Two hours detention today and tomorrow!" She snapped making all of our eyes widen.

"WHAT?" The three of us simultaneously said. I've never been to detention before. What's worse is that I got detention for just trying to resolve a fight. But I decided not to reason out with the principal in fear of getting more hours in detention. You seriously don't want Pilpher as principal. She's the only person, besides mom, that could scare the hell out of me, which is very un-Paul-ish.

"You heard me! Now leave and get to your classes! Detention starts at 2!" She said as we walked out of the door. This is stupid! I didn't even know anything. If it wasn't illegal, I would have...nevermind. I stomped down the hallway to my history class not even daring to speak. I just focused on attempting to listen to my teacher's lesson.

I was about to fall asleep when a small blue paper was handed to me by my seatmate. I opened it and in a very neat penmanship wrote:

"_Hey Paul! I'm sorry about a while ago. I guess I lost my control. –Dawn"_

I was about to look back when I saw her look at me from two chairs behind my seatmate. I smiled back at her and wrote:

"_No need to worry right?"_

I passed it to my seatmate who passed it to the people until it reached Dawn. I realized that I kept looking at her so much that I forgot that Mr. Hudson was even discussing.

"SHINJI! Pay attention!" His voice surprised me and I abruptly faced the board while I saw from the corner of my eye that Ketchum and Oak were laughing silently at me with evil (yeah right) glints in their eyes.

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review!**


	7. Meet Matthew

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews and the other reviews. On this chapter, I'll be introducing a new character here.**

**Previously:  
><strong>_I was about to fall asleep when a small blue paper was handed to me by my seatmate. I opened it and in a very neat penmanship wrote:_

_"__Hey Paul! I'm sorry about a while ago. I guess I lost my control. –Dawn"_

_I was about to look back when I saw her look at me from two chairs behind my seatmate. I smiled back at her and wrote:_

_"__No need to worry right?"_

_I passed it to my seatmate who passed it to the people until it reached Dawn. I realized that I kept looking at her so much that I forgot that Mr. Hudson was even discussing._

_"SHINJI! Pay attention!" His voice surprised me and I abruptly faced the board while I saw from the corner of my eye that Ketchum and Oak were laughing silently at me with evil (yeah right) glints in their eyes._

**Falling Chapter 8****  
>DAWN'S POV<strong>

Damn! After two days of worrying about detention, my pain is already over. Detention wasn't really that cool since all we had to do is sit for two hours and do nothing, absolutely nothing! Even Paul, the quiet one, wasn't too comfortable with the extreme silence inside hell room. Ursula on the hand was just sitting there braiding her hair then unbrading it again to pass the time. Anyway, I don't wanna talk about detention. It sucks big time! Lesson learned: Never fight with a cheerleader.

I went over to my locker, which was next to Misty's and May's, and grabbed my books for the next periods. As usual, Misty and May were talking about the latest gossips inside the school campus. One gossip did catch my attention though.

"Misty! Did you hear the latest gossip?" May squealed excitedly. Oh no she's squealing!

"No" was Misty's simple reply to my brunette friend.

"There's this kid, I think his name's Matthew, transferring here in Melbourne!" May said excitedly.

"I thought there were rules that the school won't be accepting transferees in senior year?" Misty asked. To clear it up, the school doesn't accept students from other schools in the senior year. For one, it's a graduating batch.

"Yeah but this guy's dad is apparently, the owner of this school." May informed us. This kid must be rich!

"Really now?" Misty said in a bored tone. "I don't care about new transferees. They're just a bunch of new students so what's the big deal about the-" But she got cut off as May's eyes darted off abruptly to the school's entrance.

The doors opened and a guy with blonde spiky-hair with dark-green eyes and was about as tall as Paul. He was wearing a black tee with the phrase "I'm the king" imprinted in white font on the middle part of the shirt. Over his black shirt was a blue leather jacket zipped down. He wore a dark blue pair of pants and a pair of black rubber shoes on his feet. Around his neck hung a silver chain that had the letter M in the middle. Overall, he looked totally hot.

As he walked down the corridor, the people, mostly girls, were staring at him. Some of the girls blushed furiously at the sight of him while some of the man looked a bit insecure and started checking their shirts. What a funny sight. He passed over the football trio, Ash, Gary and Paul. Ash and Gary high-fived with the guy while Paul just leaned back on the lockers, his arms folded and his left leg over his right leg, glaring at the guy.

"Hi I'm Ursula and you're Matthew Stephen right?" Ursula said as she approached the guy or Matthew should I say and held out her hand for him to shake.

"Yeah. Hi Ursula." He smiled at her and continued walking the impossibly long corridor. He soon passed my Misty, May and me and stopped. He turned to look at me with a glint in his eyes.

"Hey there. What's the pretty lady's name?" I looked to my left and to my right to make sure that he was talking to me. Once I was sure, I simply said, "Dawn. Dawn Berlitz." Surprisingly, he took my hand and kissed it. Holy crap!

"So...would the pretty lady help me find my room?" He said as he continued to hold my hand. I blushed furiously at his actions and nodded, completely dumbstruck.

"Great! Now would you mind telling me where I'm supposed to go? Here's my schedule." He said as he handed me a small paper with his schedule written. The Chemistry lab, same direction.

"W-w-we have t-the s-same room. We can g-go togeth-ther" I stammered. Damn you, Dawn! Stop stammering!

"Cool! Let's go!" He said as I walked towards the Chemistry lab with him trailing a little behind me and Misty and May in front of me.

"Dawn sure is lucky!" I heard Misty say.

"Yeah, that Matthew guy sure is hot." May said. What about Ash you little rascal?

"Guys, keep it down! He might hear you!" I whispered to them a little bit loudly.

"Let Mr. Hottiepants hear it!" May said. "SSSSH!" I tried to shush her.

I have to say, this guy, Matthew I mean, seems like a nice person. He's hot, nice and kind of dreamy. I definitely can't wait to more about him. Not that he's my crush or anything. He just seems like a good guy and a great friend.

**PAUL'S POV**

The nerve of that guy! Flirting with Dawn? Kissing her hand? Only lame people would do that. Argh! Why the hell am I even bothering to care about those two? It's not like I'm going out with Dawn right? Why am I feeling suddenly...angered or enraged or...jealous? Jealous. That word. I am not jealous! Dawn is my friend nothing more. I slammed my locker shut surprising a stunned Gary and Ash.

"You alright, Paul?" Ash asked me. Do I look alright?

"No I'm not! I'm completely angry and I don't even know why!" I growled at him while he just backed away a little. I noticed Gary smirk at me.

"I know what the problem is," Gary began. Oh man, I know where this is heading! "You're jealous, aren't you?" He smirked wider at me and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Jealous? I'm Paul, I don't get jealous." I said coolly obviously trying to shake away the fact that he was right about me being jealous.

"Oh yeah then why are you suddenly angry after Dawn and Matthew left?" He said still smirking at me. What is with people copying my trademark smirk nowadays? It's annoying.

"Because...because that Matthew guy is hogging all the attention!" I roared at him. Nice excuse, Paul.

"Oh come on! Paul Shinji wants the attention? Really? Last time I checked, you got mad because the girls were all over you and now you want the attention so badly?" Damn it! Oak got me there.

"I don't really know what 's going on." Ketchum said. Man, this guy's so unaware of practically everything.

"You're the one with the girlfriend here, Ash. You should know the situation better than any of us." Gary said to him.

"Paul's jealous?" Finally, he got it. Cheers for him. Yay. Whatever.

"Took you long enough to notice!" Gary said.

"I'm not _JEALOUS_!" I fumed. I guess I said the 'last word' so loud that it brought attention to us.

"There's the attention you wanted, Paul." Gary teased me. I am officially enraged.

"Well, what are you guys looking at? Mind your own business!" I shouted angrily at the crowd who went back to doing whatever they were doing.

"Just admit it Paul, you're jealous." Ash said.

"Okay fine! I'm jealous! Is that what you wanna hear?" I told them angrily.

"Yes" was the only response I got from them followed by a loud roar of laughter.

"Paul Shinji! Jealous! Oh my god somebody help me! I think I'm choking!" Ketchum said or managed to say from all the laughing wiping away a tear.

"I know! Ash, do you know what this calls for? THIS CALLS FOR A PARTY!" Oak said. These guys are nuts. Partying? Just because I finally cracked up and got jealous? And I thought I was weird. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm jealous. Like I said before, it's not like I'm going out with Dawn or I'm in love or something. Or maybe I am in love with her? Argh! This sucks.

"Paul Paul Paul" Ash said patting my back earning him one of my deadly glares. He abruptly took his hand off my shoulder and spoke once again, "You're jealous because you think Dawn's 'in love' at him."

"I am not. I'm jealous because...he thinks he's Mr. Goody Two Shoes who can...who can win the heart of any girl he sees." I said struggling to find the right reason or what I think is the right reason.

"Goody Two Shoes? Paul, that's for girls." Gary said stifling a laugh.

"I don't care." I simply said glaring at my two friends. Yeah, I call them friends, deal with it.

"You're jealous because you don't want Dawn to fall in love with him. You like her, don't you?" Gary said. Damn it, these guys know too much.

"Wait, Gary. The question is, DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT _LOVE_ DAWN?" Ash said emphasizing the word 'love'. Crap!

"I..."

"Say it."

"I..."

"Ketchum, how am I supposed to answer when you keep on interrupting me?" I growled furiously at him.

"Sorry."

"Answer the damn question, Paul." Gary said.

"I...I do." I sighed heavily. There was a brief moment of silence until Ketchum snickered and pretty soon both Gary and Ash were laughing loudly in front of my flushed face. Flushed because I was embarrassed at my two friends. If anyone asks...what's the point.

"Paul Shinji is in love! Oh my God! I think I'm dreaming somebody pinch me!" Ash said through his loud laughter and since he asked for it, I pinched him hardly on the arm.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" He shouted angrily at me.

"You said you were dreaming and that somebody should pinch you. You should thank me for doing the job." I said with a hint of sarcasm.

"NOT FUNNY SHINJI!" He said then after a few seconds began laughing again. At least, I'm still sane.

"I never thought that it would come to this day that our little Paul will be in love with the girl of his dreams." Gary said wiping away a tear, probably from the laughing.

"WOULD YOU GUYS PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP?" I yelled at them.

"He said please! This is better than anything!" Ash said as Gary and he continued laughing. I decided that talking to them was no use and that walking away is my best option. I can't believe I'm actually jealous of that blondie. Dawn's not going out with him. They're just two friends just like Dawn and I are except for the fact that we're best friends. I shouldn't be jealous. I SHOULDN'T!

**-xoOox-**

School was finally over. God, I can't stand this. I had to sit behind Dawn who was seated next to blondie little Matthew. He's obviously trying to flirt with her. "Here, I can hold the test tube, Dawn." Or "Wow! You are so awesome. I didn't even know you can mix these chemicals!" That guy just annoys the hell out of me. I still don't know why I would be jealous but for some reason I am. Everytime I think about Dawn and little blondie or see them together, I feel angry all of a sudden. Is it possible that I'm jealous because I like, or probably even love Dawn?

After a few hours of doing homework and studying, I checked my facebook account to see who's online as I always do. Before I knew it, I was already checking out Dawn's profile. Her display picture was absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a white tanktop tucked inside some red and pink mid-thigh high skirt being held by a golden belt and on her feet was a pair of pink converse. Around her neck was a chain necklace which I recognized as the one I gave her during her 14th birthday. Her picture was like a nice photography shot of her dancing in a field of flowers. She looked very beautiful and not just pretty which the people seemed to comment.

That's Dawn for you, the beautiful blue-haired woman. Her midnight blue hair was, as always, soft and silky and always looked perfect. Her soft and light skin color that matched her hair rhythmically. Those sapphire eyes which seemed to twinkle. They were beautiful in any angle that you look at them. Then I gaze slightly down at her soft pink lips. I wonder what it feels like to...kiss her, to feel those soft and tender lips upon my own. This is very un-Paul-like of me. I usually don't do these kinds of stuff. In all actuality, I don't really do these kinds of stuff. Is this what it is to fall in love?

I shut down my laptop and propped myself on my bed while listening to some songs on my iPhone. I found myself not even listening to the songs playing as my mind was busy thinking about something else. Or more like someone. Dawn Berlitz. How come I've been thinking of her nonstop? I always think about everything she does and how she does the things she do very gracefully. The way she talk around us and her bubbly and cheerful personality. How troublesome she is. Just everything about her seems to play on my mind like it was some song on replay. Like my other questions, is this what happens when you're in love? Because I certainly didn't think like this when I was with Ursula. How come everything I do drifts slowly back to the blue-haired girl? I dream about her sometimes. I always think about my future with her. EVERYTHING. Everything about her. This is out of control. I'm going to sleep and ask Gary for advice since Ash will probably talk about dancing apes again or give me 'the talk'. Oh you mean that perverted talk? No, when I say 'the talk' it's about giving him Reggie's homemade cookies. It's annoying. 

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

Guess who just asked me out on a date? Matthew did! To be honest, he's not really my type. He's nice and all but there's something about him that I just don't want to deal with. I looked at myself in my body-length mirror and smiled satisfyingly. I was wearing a blue strapless dress reaching about an inch above my knees with a gray cardigan on top. I wore a pair of silver ballet shoes. My trademark golden clips were out of the picture as I let my hair fall down on my shoulders. I guess I did a good job looking for the right clothes.

"Mom! I'm going now!" I yelled at the kitchen. Thank God, Vince wasn't here! He'd probably shout at me for yelling. Pretty ironic right?

"Where are you going, dear?" Mom asked as she stepped out of the kitchen.

"Matthew asked me to dinner over at the Coral's Diner. I'll be back at around eleven." I said to her.

"My sweetie finally has a date! Well, have fun, sweetie!" she said as I stepped out of the house.

"I will mom. Thanks!" I said and finally closed the door. I waited for approximately five minutes before Matthew picked me up.

"Hey gorgeous! Looking good!" He complimented me as I felt my face flush.

"You don't look bad yourself." I told him. He wore a red button-up shirt which was buttoned down revealing a plain black shirt. He wore dark pants, again, and a pair of Nike dunks. I feel as if I dressed up too formally.

"Thank you. Let's go!" He said as he placed an arm around my shoulder which honestly I wasn't comfortable with. After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived at the Coral's diner. It wasn't that formal but the place looked pretty. Almost like it was designed to make you feel at home. We ordered our meals and started chatting with each other.

"So, how was your day?" He asked me.

"We were together most of the day today. I think you know how it went." I smiled at him.

"Oh riiiight" He said coolly, "You got plans tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'm going shopping with Misty and May." I said.

"Oh, girls. No offense but how come you girls shop a lot? It's not like you'll wear all those clothes." He said. I kinda ask myself that question once in a while but then shake it off.

"To be honest, I have no idea. It's like, um, new trends probably?" I said unsurely to which he just nodded.

"You got plans on Sunday then?" He asked me or at the tone of his voice, it was more like a plea.

"I hang out with Paul every Sunday afternoon. It's kinda been a routine for us ever since that Vince incident." I explained. That Vince accident happened about two or three weeks ago, not to mention.

"Who's Vince?" He asked sounding somewhat jealous.

"My step-father but I hate calling him dad. In fact, I really hate him." I said as I took a bite on my bread.

"Oh. You hang out with Paul?" He asked, again, sounding jealous.

"Yup. He IS my best friend after all." I said smiling awkwardly at him. Okay, where the hell is this conversation heading to?

"Why do you hang out with him? From the stories I heard about him, he was quiet and mysterious." He asked me.

"He is but he's really nice. He actually saved me from Vince's wrath and tended to my wounds. He's emotionless at times but once you get to know him, he's like the bestest friend in the world." I said while smiling dreamily at the thought of Paul.

"Dawn! You're spacing out, you alright?" He said in a concerned tone while snapping his fingers in front of me.

"Oh yeah. Totally! I'm totally fine!" I said finally bringing my attention back to him.

"Uh, I guess you're fine." He said nervously while tugging on his collar. We continued talking the whole night until we finished are food and took a short stroll along the streets of my village. We stopped for a few minutes in front of my house.

"Matthew, um, thanks for the night. It was really fun talking to you." I said in all honesty. Really it was. He was funny and has some interesting stories to tell me.

"I had fun with you as well." He said plainly.

"Oh well, goodnight!" I said cheerfully giving him a hug to which he responded by squeezing me a little bit then letting me go. He stopped for a while and stared at my eyes. And then, the next thing he did was unexpected.

His lips crashed into mine and before I knew it I was, or more likely he was kissing me. I didn't kiss back as I was too shocked. My eyes shot wide open and I felt my body freeze from the sudden forceful touch. Before his kiss could deepen, I abruptly pulled away flushing from, probably, embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry, Matthew. You're a nice guy but I-I...you're, um, I'm...in l-love with s-someone else. I actually a-agreed on h-having this di-dinner date as y-you know friends. I-I'm really s-sorry." I stuttered while he just stared at me as if he found an alien right behind me.

"No, I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have." He managed to let out.

"Um, well, good night, Matthew." I simply said and before he could even reply, I dashed towards our door and went inside the house. Crud, Matthew kissed me! This is not good. I'm not in love with him! I'm not! What should I do? I should definitely call Misty since May would probably be slacking off right now or beating Max out of his wits.

I changed to my pajamas and laid myself on my bed as I dialled Misty's number. After three rings, she picked up.

"Hey Dawn! How was your date?" I unconsciously shivered.

"It was..g-good...but..." I trailed off unable to find words to say.

"But what?" Misty asked me worriedly.

"He...he...Matthew, he k-kissed me." I said the last three words as low as possible.

"That's good! He officially likes you!" Misty said happily to me.

"No no no no no!" I whined like a little child. "I don't like Matthew, okay, maybe I like him as a friend but there's someone else I like, Misty." I explained to her.

"Ohhh right! You like Paul...I remember now. So what are you gonna do about it?" Funny you should ask. Not really.

"That's exactly the reason why I called you. To think of something to do about it!" I said loudly.

"Sorry Dawn but I'm not really an expert in these kinds of situations." Misty said sadly.

"That's okay. But if you were in my position, what would you do?" I asked her hopefully getting an answer.

"Um, I'd talk to him about it and tell him that there's another guy that I'm in love with." She said. Great idea!

"I think I'll do that! Thanks Mist!" I said.

"Don't mention it!" She said cheerfully.

"We're still shopping tomorrow, alright?" I reminded her.

"Yes we are now go to sleep!" She said. Jeez, what are you, my mom?

"Goodnight!" I said then hung up. Number one on my to-do-list the next time I see Matthew: Talk to him about the kiss. Oh great! Just great.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER**

**There you have it! End of chapter! It's a bit short so to make it up to you, I'll make the next chapter a little longer than this.**

**Please read and review.**


	8. Until You Drop

**Hey guys! The previous chapter might have been short and had less fluff in it. I'll try to do my best to make this longer and add a little 'fluff' or ikarishipping. Don't forget to reviews.**

**Sorry for Paul's OOC-ness.**

_**Recap:  
><strong>_**There's this new guy in school, Matthew, who seems to have a crush on Dawn but then, Paul's sorta jealous. Okay maybe not 'sorta' but bigtime jealous. His jealousy leads him to realize that he is, indeed, in love with Dawn. **

**The chapter continues with Matthew and Dawn going on a dinner date but just as friends and to know each other better but something in Matthew's brain probably kicked and he kissed Dawn, much to her disappointment. She then calls Misty about it and ask for advice on how to deal with it.**

**FALLING CHAPTER 8  
><strong>**DAWN'S POV**

Morning guys! Or if 12:00 at noon is considered morning then so be it. I know, you're saying that I woke up extremely late but it's not my problem. Okay, maybe it is. I've been thinking about Matthew and Paul the whole night and about my date with Matthew and my feelings for Paul and those complicated stuff. It's really confusing actually. Matthew's nice and all while Paul has the tendency to be rude and mean but that's how he is. Paul isn't Paul if he isn't mean and cold. I've been thinking about the kiss Matthew gave me. Not that I hate him, but I just don't like him as more than what I think he wants. We just met yesterday and he can't just go on and kiss me like we've known each other for who knows how long. And besides, I'm...in love...with someone else. I don't know how to explain but I'm in love with Paul even if he tends to hurt me at times. Behind all those layers of coldness and indifference, he actually has a heart, a golden one. He's proven that to me when he tended to my wounds (and saving me) from Vince's attack.

What do you guys describe as falling in love? Is it when your heart beats faster than a sports car when you see or talk to that guy? When you constantly imagine yourself being with him? When your thoughts always drift back to him? Is that what love is? Because if it is, it's pretty nice but also confusing. Kissing Matthew was just not right. But thanks to him, I realized something.

I've fallen in love with my best friend.

It's both a good and a bad thing. It's good because he is my best friend and he's quite nicer to me than anybody else even his friends. He never treats me like dirt even if he remains emotionless to me. I just hope that if I tell him that I like him, he'll still accept me as his friend.

Now for the bad thing. He is Paul and I don't want to end up like Ursula who got turned down a bit harshly. To be honest, I've never imagined Paul as the guy who falls in love. Actually, come to think of it, I don't even know what goes on his mind. Does he think like the way he acts? Or is he like those guys who act indifferent but has a lot of thoughts going on his mind? This boy's hard to understand but that's probably one of the reasons why I actually like him. He's one of a kind. He's mysterious and harsh but deep down inside him, he has a big heart. But I don't want to get my hopes up for someone I know that doesn't feel the same like I do. What if he starts avoiding me again?

My phone rang and I quickly answered it not even bothering to look at who was calling.

"Hey Dawn!" That squealing voice which obviously belongs to no other than May.

"Hi May." I said groggily.

"So...you ready to go shopping?" Oh crap! I forgot about that!

"Give me an hour. I haven't taken a bath yet. Sorry, I just woke up from all the thinking I did tonight." Knowing May, she probably won't ask about it because she won't even understand it.

"Oh. Well you better hurry up! We'll pick you up in an hour. Misty and Gary are here at my place." I froze. Gary? Gary's there?

"Is Ash with you?"

"Yes!" was her 'simple' reply. Oh crap! Then if Gary's there and Ash is there then that must mean...I took a painful gulp.

"I-is the th-third one th-there?" I stuttered nervously.

"No" Phew! "But Ash and Gary said that they'll drag him forcefully to go shopping with us." OH CRAP! I'm in trouble! God damn it!

"Wh-what do you mean forcefully?" I stammered again.

"I dunno. Ash and Gary have their ways but don't you think it's exciting! It's like a triple date! Ash and me, Misty and Gary, You and-" I cut her off quickly.

"Gary and Misty are going out now?" Well that was a stupid thing to ask.

"Yeah. We told you like four times yesterday. Weren't you listening?" May asked in a hurt tone.

"Guess I forgot." I laughed nervously.

"Anyway, you better get ready. Look nice. Bye!" She hung up and I ran towards my closet. I grabbed a purple and white long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of white short shorts and ran to the bathroom to take a bath.

After about forty-five minutes I stepped out looking at myself in the mirror. I look acceptable anyway. So I slid on my blue pair of converse and quickly made my way out of the room. Not even bothering to fix my hair. What is wrong with me? I quickly ate a peanut butter sandwich and ran back to my room, brushed my teeth then fixed my hair.

It took me about ten minutes just to fix my hair and stopped when I thought it looked good enough. I got my things and quickly ran down the stairs not even caring about Vince's protests from their bedroom. I was about to open the door when the door opened itself and revealed a smiling Misty and May with the boys leaning on their car.

"AH!" I shouted from surprise.

"Hey, you alright? You seem kinda nervous." Misty asked in a concerned tone.

"No not at all! I'm not nervous! What makes you think that?" I asked quickly. I am nervous! I don't even think I could look Paul in the eye after last night's events. This is going to be one awkward shopping trip.

"Well, get out of there and let's go." May said as she literally pushed me out of my house to the car.

"Hey" Ash and Gary both said in a bored tone.

"Where's Paul?" I asked. Part of me was glad that he wasn't joining us and the other part of me is kind of saddened that he isn't with us right now.

"He said he's going to catch up with us in the mall." Gary said. Phew! Awkward car ride is out of the list leaving many more awkward things hanging. Oh man!

We drove to the mall using Gary's convertible BMW (rich kid hmph!) quietly. Actually, we drove their noisily. May's constant complaining about how Misty ruined her hair early in the morning. Misty retorting angrily at her. Ash fighting with Gary about which songs to play inside the car and Gary's constant switching of songs. So you can say that this car ride was totally anything but quiet. Whilst they were fighting, I was deep in thought. And if you think it's about the falling in love with Paul thing, then you're wrong. I'm actually thinking about how I'm supposed to greet him. Pretty shallow right? But hey! I can't help it.

After about thirty minutes of driving, we finally arrived at the mall. It's called Trifel, I don't even know why that's the name of the mall. Anyway, this mall was said to be one of the biggest malls here in Sinnoh. What do you expect? Hearthome does have the best malls.

We walked inside the mall. Since I was deep in thought about how I should greet Paul, I didn't realize that I bumped into something and landed on my butt. I looked up to see the purple-haired man I was talking about. He was wearing a plain dark blue shirt together with a black leather jacket and a pair of dark jeans.

"Watch where you're going at all times, Troublesome." He said in a monotone voice while helping me out. That's Paul for you. His helpfulness is covered by his being emotionless. Sometimes...

"Sorry I was deep in thought." I said while he just nodded.

"Hey Paul!" Ash greeted.

"Shinji! Nice for you to be here." Gary said. I wonder...how did they even convince Paul to come here in the first place? I mean he's PAUL freaking SHINJI! And PAUL SHINJIs don't go shopping!

**PAUL'S POV**

I can't believe I actually agreed to go to this shopping trip. I'm too gullible, damn it!

_**-flashback-**_

"_Paul!" The loud and annoying voice of that raven-haired dude shouted from the hallway._

"_Damn it, can't you get any louder?" I muttered. Ash and Gary soon appeared in front of me and were grinning from ear to ear. Oh man. I know this grin. These two usually smile like this when they want something from me or when Ash wants to steal cookies or when Gary asks me to help him with his homeworks or when they want me to do something out of my character._

"_What do you want, nutheads? And please, don't shout. We're in a freaking corridor. I don't want girls looking at us like some assholes who just won the lottery." I whispered angrily to them to which they responded with a nod._

"_You see, May invited Ash and Misty invited me to go to the mall with them and we were hoping if you could come." Gary said. I stared at them in disbelief but, as usual, unnoticed. Asking me to go shopping is like asking a hen to lay a blue egg._

_After a few minutes of silence, "no" was my answer and started walking towards my car. Yes, I drive a car. I'm 18 for your information._

"_Please?" They pleaded me at the same time._

"_No"_

"_Please?"_

"_No"_

"_Please?"_

"_FOR THE LAST TIME, NO! OKAY NO I WILL NOT GO TO SOME STUPID SHOPPING SPREE WITH YOU GUYS!" I yelled angrily at them._

"_Dawn's coming." Ash muttered while smirking at me._

"_Who?" I asked, unsure of what I just heard._

"_Dawn's coming." Ash said a bit louder this time._

"_I bet she'd be happy if you come and accompany her while we go with out dates. Don't you _LOVE_ her?" Gary smirked deviously at me. I knew this was coming. How come I wasn't prepared for this?_

"_Fine. I'll stay but I'm not going inside those stores you're going. I'm on my own here. I'll drive there by myself. I'll leave when I get bored. Got it?" I asked them coldly as they just nodded and gave each other a high-five. I glared at them once more and went inside my car and drove home._

_**-end of flashback-**_

"Paul? You alright? You're drifting off in your own world...again." I heard Troublesome ask me. I nodded and continued walking.

"Misty! There's this store with loads of dresses! Let's check it out!" The brunette squealed. I think her name was May.

"Really? Come on, guys! Let's go!" Misty said as Ash and Gary sighed painfully. I smirked at them. Seems like their plan to get me to go shopping backfired.

"Not coming." I simply said as I walked the other direction.

"Me neither." I heard Dawn say while jogging up next to me.

"Why didn't you want to come? You're a girl. You should love dresses." I said in a low voice.

"I've got dresses back at home. I just went here to get away from the house. I do NOT want to see Vince making out with my mom on the couch." She gagged at the thought of it and I can't help but laugh in my mind and smirk on the outside.

"You're parents sure are weird." I pointed out which I think was true. The mom's the hard-working type and works for the family while the step-dad acts like some old douchebag who can't feed himself.

"I have to agree with you on that." She said with a light chuckle. I sure am lucky to not be inside that women's store. Poor Ash and Gary.

**ASH'S POV (ALRIGHT!)**

How many clothes do girls need? Do you guys even know where we are? Gary and I are in the women's underwear section! Apparently, May and Misty think that they don't have enough underwear for school. Dude! I've seen May's closet and she has like five drawers full of underwear. Don't even ask how I saw her closet. I just saw it alright? This is really awkward. All the girls are staring weirdly at me and Gary and we'll be like, "Mind your own business." Or "We're in a horror movie right now and this is all just a dream."

"Ashyyy!" shouted May's loud voice from one of the fitting room. Oh man! She's gonna show me her clothes.

"Y-yes?" I asked her nervously.

"Do you think this bikini looks good on me?" Oh shit. I am not looking at bikinis. I am not! REPEAT NOT looking at her bikini. There is no way that will happen.

"Ummm...Do I have to come in or will you get out of the-" But I got cut off as she stepped outside wearing some red bikini which was thin on some parts.

"Uhhh...y-yeah, it l-looks go-good o-on you" I tried to stifle a laugh. Man, she looks hot!

She walked up to me and whispered in my ear giving me shivers down my spine, "I bought it...just for you" and then she smiled. Oh crap what's wrong with people nowadays. I looked at Gary and he just looked at me with a sympathetic look. NOOOO!

**GARY'S POV**

Poor Ash. I think May just owned him big time! But that doesn't mean I'm happy now. I'm with Misty right now. And boy is she looking for those extremely high high-heeled shoes. This woman has about a million pairs of shoes! How many more does she need? She says and I dare quote, "I wanna be as tall as you so I'm looking for shoes about six inches tall." Women these days. Just like in the women's underwear section, I've been receiving curious stares from curious women. PEOPLE, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS JEEZ!

"Gary, how do I look with these shoes?" Misty asked giving me a puppy-dog eyes look.

"Misty, they're just shoes. It's not like your whole world depends on that. You look good in any pair of shoes alright?" I told her in a bored tone while texting on my phone.

"Oh come on! I'm just asking for your opinion!" She fumed at me.

"Okay fine! You look great! Can you please pay for that now so we could go?" I asked in an uninterested tone followed with a grunt.

"Yay! Thanks!" She squealed and hugged me then skipped towards the counter while I waited quietly for her near the counter. I wonder how Paul and Dawn our doing. At least Paul's lucky not to be shopping. But then again, this is Dawn we're talking about. I bet Paul's having the worst time of his life right now. Huh! I bet he's probably dying right now from all the shopping they've been doing. Just wait till he comes here. He'll probably cry his ass here after carrying those shopping bags. But he is Paul. He'll probably kill Dawn first before she could even hand him a bag.

**PAUL'S POV**

I've got to say, this day with Dawn is really...interesting. She didn't even shop for once in her life. At least, I'm getting to know her better again. Right now, we're sitting inside an ice cream parlor, as always.

"Hey Paul?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry if you're probably having a bad time right now since I know you hate going to the mall and I'm thinking that you're probably killing yourself with boredom right now and yeah, I'm sorry." She said quietly. Why the hell is she sorry?

"Don't be sorry." I said with a grunt.

"Huh?"

"Troublesome, it was fun being with you today." I said in a low voice.

"Really?"

"Hn." I nodded.

"Thanks." She said as she smiled at me.

"For what?"

"For not running away from me." I knew she'd say that. When Reggie takes me to the mall to buy supplies or something, I usually run away from him.

"Why would I do that?" I said smirking inwardly.

"You hate going to the mall and being the rebel you are, I thought that you'll probably run away from me." She said innocently.

"Nah, I'm not that low to run away from a girl." I said coolly.

"Right." She said. I just nodded and went back to eating my ice cream. We were silent for about ten minutes until I decided to break it. Unusual stuff happens.

**DAWN'S POV**

This is weird of Paul. Weird, in a good way. He's the type of guy who doesn't talk too much to girls but today he seems so...nice to me. We ate in silence for about ten minutes until he decided to break the ice.

"Do you like Matthew?" My eyes shot right up and widened because of the question. Why would he ask that?

"No. I like him as a friend but that's that." I said as I smiled at him. I laughed in my mind. Paul? Jealous? Doesn't fit him. "Why'd you ask?"

"I guess because you've been hanging out with him a lot." He said quietly putting his ice cream bowl down.

"You jealous?" I smirked.

"No."

"..."

"No."

"Right"

"Where are we going with this?" By the way he's talking, I could tell that he's nervous. I am so awesome! I made Paul nervous twice in a month! That must be some kind of world record.

"Nevermind. It's obvious you're jealous of him since I hang out with him a lot." I said while grinning evilly at Paul.

"I am not!" He growled angrily making me flinch but I still managed to grin deviously at him.

"Well if you're not then I guess you're okay with me hanging out with him a lot right?" I got him!

"Why not" He hissed under his breath while I just raised my eyebrow at him.

"Okay! I'm jealous! I'm not usually one to spill that out but it's true. I am jealous. It's normal." He said.

"I knew it!" I smirked victoriously. "Anyway, we better get back before everyone goes frantic about us." He nodded and stood up while I followed him. We were walking quietly until he suddenly stopped making me bump into him.

"Ummm...any particular reason why we stopped?" I asked him.

"I don't know where we're supposed to go." He told me, not even bothering to face me. I guess Mr. Grumpy-pants was too cool to even ask for directions.

"We're supposed to meet them near the entrance, smarty." I said rolling my eyes.

"Whatever." He continued walking then he realized that I wasn't following him.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked.

"Entrance is this way, grumpy!" I stuck my tongue out at him childishly making him smirk. He walked towards me and took the lead.

We walked in silence for a few minutes until we reached the entrance. We found Ash and Gary looking helpless while carrying loads of shopping bags in both hands while Misty and May were chatting next to them.

"Hn. Troublesome, you've been a very good girl not shopping." He smirked at me as he walked towards the others.

"You guys better help us!" Gary fumed at both of us.

"Why should we? It was your idea to come with those girls anyway." Paul said.

"You have no idea how girls shop, dude! They bought a whole wardrobe of clothes and we get to carry all their stuff? NOT COOL!" Ash complained as he banged the paper bags on the floor.

"WATCH IT KETCHUM!" May shouted at him.

"I'm leaving." Paul said as he walked towards the parking lot.

"Can I come with you?" I said as I jogged to keep up in pace with him. "I'm not sure if I can handle two couples fighting at a time." He just shrugged and pushed me inside the car. Real gentleman! (insert eye roll here)

We drove quietly for a few minutes. His eyes were focused on the road while my eyes were gazing at him as the lingering questions started to run around my mind again. Do I really love this seemingly indifferent plumhead driving next to me? Once we reached my house, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and rushed inside my house. Why did I just do that? Crap! Why didn't I realize that this will just add more to the awkwardness between us?

**PAUL'S POV**

I can't believe she just kissed me on the cheek. I felt myself flush and heat up and my mind was instantly filled up with questions again. Did I really love Troublesome?

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Do you guys like it? I kind of got an author's block during Paul and Dawn's moment in the ice cream shop. I had the idea but it slipped away from my mind so I ended up writing what I wrote. Haha sorry about that guys.**

**Don't forget to read and review. And please, no flames.**


	9. Awkward Invitation

**Hey guys! Sorry if I haven't been updating lately. I have school and all so I'm busy but I will try to do my best! Please review!**

**If you guys are wondering what Matthew has to do in this story. You'll find out soon.**

**Recap:**

_DAWN'S POV  
><em>_We drove quietly for a few minutes. His eyes were focused on the road while my eyes were gazing at him as the lingering questions started to run around my mind again. Do I really love this seemingly indifferent plumhead driving next to me? Once we reached my house, I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and rushed inside my house. Why did I just do that? Crap! Why didn't I realize that this will just add more to the awkwardness between us?_

_PAUL'S POV_

_I can't believe she just kissed me on the cheek. I felt myself flush and heat up and my mind was instantly filled up with questions again. Did I really love Troublesome?_

**-xoOox-**

**FALLING CHAPTER 9**

**PAUL'S POV**

She kissed me. Dawn kissed me. She freaking kissed me even if it was only on the cheek. I know it's not very Paul-ish for me to be panicking like this but I am. I don't even know why I'm panicking. It's just a kiss, it's not like she meant more to it. Although I wish she did...

Anyway, that was about two or three weeks ago. I was just reminiscing on things that happened so far between us as I continued to look at the pictures from my wall or laptop.

"Paul! You okay? You seem distracted! Dude, we have to train for the game! KEEP FOCUSED!" Coach Dustin yelled at me as I finally snapped out of my thoughts and went back to the field.

"Paul, you seem distracted for the past few days actually weeks? What's wrong?" Ketchum asked me as I threw the football at Gary.

"Nothing." I grunted in reply. I lied. I've been thinking of the same things over and over again. Wait, no. I was actually just thinking about Dawn, over and over again. I want to tell her that I love her but I'm "scared" that she'll reject me. Hey guys, Paul Shinji, the mysterious, quiet guy is "scared" of rejection. The good part is, she hasn't been hanging out with that Matthew a lot anymore. I don't really like them together. I've heard stories about Matthew and him being this famous playboy back in Snowpoint High. I don't know if these stories are true but I just don't trust him. Not even Dawn's friends trust him.

"Shinji! Concentrate!" Coach Dustin shouted again. Being so deep in thought, I didn't realize that I was still holding the ball, not running or anything.

I threw the ball to the ground and told our coach, "I'm taking a break. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Whatever. Be back in thirty minutes and make sure you get serious this time? I don't care about your thoughts now go!" He told me as I went back to the men's locker where I found Gary and Ash.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" Ash asked.

"Nothing." I scoffed at them.

"There's something wrong. I could feel it." Ash said. Since when did he feel things?

"You haven't been concentrating the past three weeks or so. Something's bugging your mind and I'm not sure if it's healthy." Gary said. What are you, a doctor? You guys obviously don't know how to deal with my situation because you never experienced this. You always get the girl. I don't. No one falls in love with me. I'm Paul Shinji for crying out loud, mysterious, quiet, emo, famous football star. No one even likes me for who I am.

"See you're spacing out on us? Just tell us what's wrong with you." Gary said.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and yelled, "I'M IN LOVE WITH MY FUCKING BEST FRIEND OKAY? YOU HAPPY? IT'S FRUSTRATING!"

"Ooo-kay. No need to swear. What's so frustrating about Dawn?" Gary said nervously. That's what I keep asking myself too. Dawn's not frustrating. It's the fact that I'm too much of a coward to actually tell her what I feel. It's fucking annoying.

"It's just that she's been hanging out with that Matthew kid a lot more!" I fumed angrily glaring at my two companions.

"Well, you obviously can't get your facts straight. Number one, Dawn doesn't like Matthew. Number two, May told me that they don't hang out anymore and number three...Gary you tell him." Ash said nervously.

"Matt (that's what they sometimes call that jerk), um, kissed Dawn during their dinner date." Gary said slowly and carefully. He said it as if he expected me to go uncontrollably wild. HE EXPECTED CORRECTLY.

"HE WHAT?" I roared angrily making both Ash and Gary flinch from my sudden loud voice.

"She hasn't told you?" Ash asked.

"No." I replied quickly glaring at Ash. I don't know why I'm so angry though. I'm just her best friend. It's not my business to know who she kisses but then again, I'm feeling extremely mad right now. I''m trying to fight the urge to punch the Matthew guy on the face till he drops to his knees and cries home to his mommy. I feel extremely pained right now to know that Dawn, my woman if I wasn't so afraid, has found someone else. But mostly, I feel extremely mad at myself. I'm very mad at myself, in fact, because I was such a coward not to tell Dawn how I feel. Everything's my fault.

"That's the reason why Dawn stopped talking to him and started avoiding him." I felt a flow of relief surge through my body as Gary said that. "She said it's because she loved someone else and it pained her to kiss another guy whom she didn't have feelings for." Once again, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Great! A second ago I was very relieved to know that she doesn't love Matthew but now here I am, sulking inside because Dawn has another one.

I was quite relieved though, part of me was saying that Dawn loves me but then again, I don't want to get my hopes up. I feel like such a girl right now. I don't even feel like the Paul I used to be. The Paul who was ignorant, selfish and mysterious. Love does change people. I know that just by feeling love, I've changed.

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

August 24, 2010. Only one month to go until I turn 18! I'm so excited that I'm starting to plan my party right now, with the help of May and Misty of course. We were all in my room, thank God Vince and mom aren't here, deciding on what the theme of my party should be. By the way, I'm throwing my 18th birthday party at my backyard since it was big enough. We were choosing between a slumber party, dance party and a Hollywood themed party.

"I say we choose the dance party!" May said knowingly.

"I second that!" Misty said in agreement.

"Then dance party it is! I can always ask mom to put up the dance floor in the middle and then there'll be some cute little spotlights showing off every colour you possibly imagine and then there's be tons of food and there's loud music and the DJ and everything else!" I said. I have to be honest. I'm not much of a partygirl but I'm turning 18 so I have to at least put up an awesome party for me and my friends to enjoy.

"We should have some beer!" May stupidly suggested as Misty and I shot her a confused look. I don't think I'm comfortable having drunk people in my house. I've been drunk once and I had to stay in bed for a whole day.

"That is sooo out of the list, May. No beer for us." Misty said.

"I am not having drunk people partying in my place. Vince would probably kill me if that happened and mom will have the "talk" with me again about how people act when they're drunk and what could possibly happen." I said remembering the time mom told me how Kenny's mom got drunk and was knocked up behind the bar with her boyfriend. I was like, 'Kenny's a mistake?'

"Fine." We were quiet once again until May exclaimed, "You're gonna have to buy new clean bedsheets, clean your room and buy th-" I abruptly cut her off by throwing a pillow at her. I knew where she was going with it.

"NOBODY IS HAVING SEX DURING MY PARTY!" I yelled, "What the hell have you been watching May?"

"Stuff." May said sheepishly. Jeez, May and her impossibly weird imagination.

"We could have some cocktail with no alcohol and juice and pizza or pasta or anything to drink and eat for your birthday." Misty suggested.

"That's better than being drunk and having sex." I said carelessly.

"Whatever." May scoffed.

"So who's coming?" Misty asked me.

"My list says, obviously me, you two, Kenny, Zoey, Daisy, Lily, Red, Ash, Gary, Matthew...Paul." I blushed as I said his name but continued, "and some other friends from school."

"PAUL'S COMING? AND MATTHEW?" May shouted.

"Didn't you hear me? I said they were coming." I said, again, carelessly. And then I realized...Paul doesn't like Matthew and Matthew doesn't like Paul according to what they told me. Oh no! What was I thinking?

"I...I don't c-care! It's my party and I don't care if they hate each other." I said nervously while sticking my head up.

"Whatever you say, Dawn. Whatever you say." May said.

"Food and drinks, check. Location, check. DJ, check. People, check. Clothes, not check." Misty said.

"I've got tons of clothes in my closet, I'm pretty sure something would suit me." I told her.

"You're turning 18. You're gonna become an adult in a month! You're going to have to wear something adult like." Misty said. I don't need to look like an adult. It's not like I'm trying to impress anyone with what I wear.

"I know!" May suddenly ran to my closet and literally dug through it, throwing some of my clothes on the floor. "You got scissors?" she asked as I pointed on my study desk beside my bed. After a few minutes of cutting, ripping, measuring and cursing, because May is very clumsy, a new dress was formed. "TA-DA!" May sang out. She raised the dress high, holding both side in her hands. It looked pretty. From a black long-sleeved dress that reached the knees, it was now a black strapless dress that hung mid-thigh with a lace-pattern cut on the hemline. It was very amazing but I don't think I could wear something that short especially since boys are there.

"This looks great May! But isn't it a bit too short?" I asked.

"That's what it's supposed to be. Try it on." She said. I walked inside my bathroom, stripped off my clothes and wore this newly customized dress. It wasn't just mid-thigh, it was an INCH higher. It looked good on me but it's still too short.

I came out of the bathroom and both my friends looked at me in awe. "You look so stunning, Dawn!" Misty exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

"I told you, it'll look good on you!" May said proudly as she crossed her arms.

"I guess so but it's still too short." I told them while pulling the dress downwards with one hand and the other clinging onto the front part of my dress.

"So? You're turning 18, you're supposed to feel comfortable wearing those kinds of dress. And for all I know, Paul might seem interested in you." May said. Paul? Why bring him in this conversation?

"You want to impress him right? Start with clothing first then insides later!" May said. Wasn't it supposed to be personality first then clothes later?

"May, I don't think Paul would care about how I look one tad bit." I said.

"Who knows. He's so mysterious, we don't even know what turns him on." Misty replied this time. Before I knew it, I was already imagining Paul being turned on. Now that's a rare sight...and weird. I never saw that boy blush deeply.

"I'm not trying to impress Paul!" I denied. LIE. I want to IMPRESS Paul. That's a definite fact. But I will definitely not go for the alluring and seductive type in my party. DEFINITELY NOT

"Sure, whatever you say." They both said at the same time. These people know me extremely well. They know me like an open book.

"My mom and Vince are coming home soon, I suggest you guys leave before things get freaky in here. See you tomorrow!" I told them. The last time they were here, Vince was constantly complaining about his dusty chair. I don't care about your dusty chair. Actually, NOBODY CARES.

"Oh yeah, I remember his stupid dusty chair." May sighed heavily as Misty and her walked out of the door closing it gently.

To be honest, I'm completely nervous about what will happen on my birthday. I'm nervous about lots of things. I'm nervous about Paul and Matthew being in the same party. I'm nervous about looking like a seductive ass. I'm nervous about asking Paul to go to my party although I don't really know why I should be nervous. All I have to do is text him like what ordinary best friends do. But ever since, I realized my true feelings for him, I get nervous around him all the time. Not even Misty and May can help me anymore. I hate this feeling. For the past two or three weeks, all I did was think about him, steal glances when I can. I can't even look at him straight in the eye anymore ever since I kissed him (even if it was just on the cheek).

My party is still a month away. I still have so much time to plan for this. I have so much time to ask Paul to go to my party. I can do this! 30 days of preparation. NO NEED TO WORRY, DAWN BERLITZ! You've got plenty of time.

**-xoOox-**

**29 days later...**

Crap! My party's tomorrow and I haven't even told him yet. Today's a Friday so technically, it's my last chance to invite him since I'll be preparing a lot for tomorrow. If only time would move faster so I can finally get out of this classroom and head over to him.

I stared impatiently at my wristwatch waiting eagerly for it to be four o'clock so I can get out and run over to Paul and his friends. Just 30 more seconds...29...28...27...26

"We'll be extending for ten minutes if you don't mind for our pop quiz." My calculus teacher said as she handed each of us a quiz paper. Damn it! I'll have to wait for another ten minutes. Stupid pop quizzes! I answered my quiz and after ten minutes, I was done. The bell rang minutes ago. I bet Paul's somewhere in the whole building right now. And the worst part is, I forgot to bring my phone with me so I can't contact him.

"So for Monday, please prepare..." Ms. Thompson just had to remind us again and again. I wasn't even listening to her. I was waiting for her to dismiss us. Stupid reminders. I already know them!

"You may go now!" As soon as she left, I abruptly stood up, got my things and rushed out of the room. I looked for Paul by his locker, the football field and other common places but he wasn't there. I felt utterly disappointed realizing that he had just left. Surely, I know that I could just text him but I wanted to tell him personally. After a few minutes of looking and asking, I gave up. I was about to walk to the parking lot when a cough startled me. I looked at my left and right but so no one so I just shrugged it off.

"Where are you going, Troublesome?" Paul! I turned around and saw Paul, who was nearly a foot behind me.

"Where were you the whole time? I've been looking for you everywhere!" I almost shouted at him.

"I was inside the males comfort room." He said monotonously.

"For twenty minutes?" I asked in disbelief.

"No. I was following you. Of course, you didn't bother to look right and left, just straight. No wonder you didn't find me." He said in an arrogant voice. WELL!

"Thank you for being my stalker but I have something to ask you." I said quickly as I was nervous, taking a deep breath as soon as I finished speaking.

"Let me guess, tomorrow's your birthday and you want me to come over at your house, 9pm sharp in your backyard. Am I right?" He said in a bored tone. His ever-present scowl plastered on his face.

"How did you know?" I eyed him suspiciously.

"Ash is a blabbermouth." Makes sense.

"So...um, are you coming?" I asked giving him a sheepish smile.

"I don't see why not." He said. Um...that was, uh, easy?

"Oh yay! Thank you, Paul!" I said giving him a hug by wrapping arms around his neck while blushing furiously at our closeness. Then, I felt him wrap his arms hesitantly around me obviously surprising me. Paul Shinji hugging a girl is a rare sight.

We let go of each other and straightened our clothes in an awkward manner probably from embarrassment. I glanced up at him and gave him a smile.

"So see you tomorrow then. I gotta go! Bye!" I said and ran past the doors to my car still blushing madly. It's official, I was madly in love with Mr. Mystery. Tomorrow is going to be one awesome and awkward party though.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER**

**What did you guys think? I struggled to do this on a school day so I'm sorry if it's too simple. Please review and NO FLAMES.**

**Dear Anonimous, I suggest you try to actually READ and UNDERSTAND the whole thing before asking questions. And for Matthew, you'll find out soon.**

**Thanks!**


	10. Disaster

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews on my previous chapter! So here we go!**

**Previously:  
><strong>_"So...um, are you coming?" I asked giving him a sheepish smile._

_"I don't see why not." He said. Um...that was, uh, easy?_

_"Oh yay! Thank you, Paul!" I said giving him a hug by wrapping arms around his neck while blushing furiously at our closeness. Then, I felt him wrap his arms hesitantly around me obviously surprising me. Paul Shinji hugging a girl is a rare sight._

_We let go of each other and straightened our clothes in an awkward manner probably from embarrassment. I glanced up at him and gave him a smile._

_"So see you tomorrow then. I gotta go! Bye!" I said and ran past the doors to my car still blushing madly. It's official, I was madly in love with Mr. Mystery. Tomorrow is going to be one awesome and awkward party though._

**-xoOox-**

**FALLING CHAPTER 9  
>DAWN'S POV<strong>

September 24, 2010. (a/n: I don't really know her birthday so let's just assume that it's on September 24.) My birthday. I'm turning 18 finally! I celebrated last night with mom and Vince by going to some fancy seven-star restaurant. The food there was totally delicious! They even had to keep me from ordering everything even if it was my birthday. Right now, I'm preparing for my party. I've got exactly six hours left till it starts. I've already contacted the DJ, the caterers, and other stuff. All I've got to do is check everything if they're in position and wait.

Anyway, I wonder how this party will end up. I want it to be special. I know it's going to be loud like those dance parties I attend to but I want it to be something memorable to the people invited and of course, me. Turning from a lady to an adult is a big transition and a very big step in life. Maybe today, I'll have a chance with..you-know-who. Well come to think of it, I wonder if he really is coming. Paul isn't the type of guy who goes to parties like this one I'm holding even if it was for him. He fled the victory party last year for their football team before it even started...and to think that he was the one who made the team win. I'm starting to wonder, is he doing this for me or is he doing for the sake of it? That thought kinda bothered me.

I was deep in thought when the door bell rang all of a sudden. I was still wearing my nightgown so I decided to put a jacket on in case it was a boy who was outside. I opened the door which revealed a wide-smiling redhead and brunette.

"MISTY! MAY!" I said as I hugged them. "Look who's early" I told both of them.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We're your best friends of course we need to be early" They both said. What? Is this scripted or something?

"So are you ready for your party tonight?" May asked me. I nodded smiling widely as I led them to my backyard. They were both surprised with what they saw.

"No chairs?" Misty asked.

"When you're in a dance party, the only chairs you need is for the bar." I explained. They seemed to like the idea as they smiled widely. My backyard was big enough to hold a party. There were about 12 spotlights, which flash different colours like I said before, a table with all the food and at the leftmost corner was a counter which looks like the ones you see in a bar.

"I thought you didn't want alcohol?" May asked me as she saw the seemingly bar.

"We're not having alcohol. It just looks like we're having alcohol. Like I said before, we are not having alcoholic drinks here okay?" I said while May and Misty nodded.

"So where are the drinks, Dawn?" Misty asked as she searched for them over at the counter.

"I forgot to order." I said nervously while scratching the back of my head.

"I'll take care of that! Don't worry!" May said confidently.

"You would? Thanks May, you're the best!" I said while hugging her. She hugged back and patted me as if saying, 'you're welcome'. "NO ALCOHOL OKAY?" I warned her. "Yes ma'am!" She saluted me. The last thing I need is carrying drunk people out of my house.

"So is he coming?" Misty asked me as we headed upstairs to my room.

"Yes he is!" I said excitedly. Who wouldn't be excited?

"REALLY? HOW DID YOU CONVINCE HIM? I MEAN HE'S PAUL! HE STAYS AWAY FROM PARTIES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!" May squealed. Yeah, she's right about that.

"I was looking for him after school and when I was about to give up, he showed up. He was pretty much following me and he said that Ash told him about my party and that he'll come." I explained as if it was the obvious thing in the world.

"He likes you" was simply what Misty said. I widened my eyes at her staring in disbelief.

"NO HE DOESN'T" I denied sharply.

"Whatever you say. But come to think of it, Paul usually turns down these kinds of invitations and based on what I heard he even reminded you about it." Misty said casually. I am not getting my hopes up. Paul doesn't like me. We are opposites. We're better off as just best friends and that's it.

"I don't believe you." I told Misty who just shrugged as her and May walked to my room.

"So where's the dress you're supposed to wear?" May asked. I did some revisions to the dress, being the hoping fashion designer I am. I added more lace to hem of the dress to make it seem a little bit longer and added a sleeve that reached the left shoulder on one side while the other just hung loose. It looked great in my opinion.

"Here it is." I said as I showed them the dress.

"Okay, you are a much better designer than I am. No doubt about that!" May sighed as she took in the sight of the plain black dress in front of her. Yeah, I'm proud to call it a Dawn Berlitz dress.

"I can't wait to see you wear that! Dawn, you're the best!" Misty complimented.

"Thanks guys!" I said as I engulfed them both in a hug.

**-xoOox-**

**PAUL'S POV**

I don't know why I'm stressing over this. Stupid Ash and Gary just had to remind me to buy Dawn a present! Of course I know that. They just had to tell me that it's supposed to be 'special' and all those cute googly stuff. I am not going to buy her pink clothes. I will not go inside those stupid women's stores for clothes and I am NOT going for cute here.

"You dimwit! I am not going to buy her pink clothes for the last time!" I yelled at Ash as soon as we got out of that cute little women's store for clothes.

"Oh come on! Like you have anything better to buy her!" Ash retorted. He's right about that thing though. But how many clothes does Dawn need? She buys about a dozen clothes everytime she goes shopping which is often.

Then a thought came up to me!'

"Let's go there." I pointed at the Jewelry shop much to Ash's and Gary's disbelief. I shrugged and walked over there, as usual, hands in my pockets probably out of habit.

"What the hell are we doing in a Jewelry shop?" Gary asked me but I opt to ignore him.

"How may I help you sir?" The woman asked me. I glanced at my two companions. My look telling them to go outside which they obediently did.

"I need to buy a gift for some girl. I need it to be special. Her birthday's today." I said stoically.

"I see you're buying for you girlfriend. Well, you came to the right place." The saleslady told me quite cheerfully.

"Not my girlfriend." I said in an annoyed tone. Annoyed because I couldn't have the balls to ask her out.

"Oh..." She said as she trailed off to look at some charm bracelet made of gold.

"How much is that?" I asked her.

"$10, 000" She simply said. I nodded and handed her the money. I've been saving up and some of my blackmailing techniques on Reggie helped me get money too.

"Thank you and I hope you enjoy your day!" She said with a wink as I walked out. People are so weird nowadays.

"What did you buy?" Ash asked me. I shot him a look.

"It's none of your business!" I said as I walked down the alley and back to the parking lot. Troublesome better like this! It cost me a lot of money.

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

**Current time: 9:30pm**

The party started about thirty minutes ago and almost everyone was here. Misty, May, Gary, Ash, Zoey, Kenny and my other friends but one person. I can't believe Paul's late. Did he decide that this is just another one of those parties he could pretend to agree on and choose not to go when he doesn't feel like going? I can't believe him. Even Matthew was earlier than him. He was actually the fifth one to be here. I can't believe it! I just can't! My best friend hasn't arrived yet. He better not dish this party out. That cold, heartless, arrogant, selfish jerk! Of all the things he could just dish out, he decided to not arrive on my 18th birthday. I can't believe it!

"_If you wanna get with me__  
><em>_There's some things you gotta know__  
><em>_I like my beats fast__  
><em>_And my bass down low__  
><em>_Ba-ba-bass, bass, bass down low__  
><em>_Bass, bass, bass down low__  
><em>_I, I, I like my beats fast__  
><em>_And my bass down low__  
><em>_(Drop it to the floor)__  
><em>_Bass down low__  
><em>_Bass, bass, bass down low_

The loud music was rampaging from the huge speakers put up on each corner of my backyard beside leftmost corner where the "bar" was set up. Everybody except me is dancing to the music.

Everybody's having fun dancing like they're wild dogs on the loose. Misty and May were dancing like there's no more tomorrow while Gary and Ash were being as awkward as ever. My other friends are enjoying themselves while I'm here sulking because there's a big chance that Paul won't arrive. I can't believe him. After all the thing we've been through, he stood me up. That badass jerk stood me up. This is the worst birthday ev-DING DONG!

That sounded like the doorbell. No kidding. It's probably Paul but then I again, I don't want to get my hopes up. I opened the door which revealed a plumhead wearing a black leather jacket and a dark blue tee and a pair of pants and his black converse. Paul. I knew he'd come! My heart felt normal again as I breathed in a sigh of relief. He looked totally hot by the way. His eyes fell on me as he stared at me emotionless but his eyes were adoring. Paul adored? I was dressed in the same dress, I let my blue locks flow down my shoulders and I was wearing strapped high heels. From the peppy happy-go-lucky girl, I have now changed into a young woman.

"You, um..look beautiful tonight." He told me trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. Too late! I noticed.

"You look hot" I murmured not really expecting him to hear it.

"Huh?"

"You look handsome. That's what I said!" I replied nervously while letting him inside the house. Once we got inside, Matthew came up to me in the worst possible time.

"Hey Dawn!" He greeted while holding a glass on his hand then glared over at Paul, "I see you brought Paul here. Hello there" He said as he held out his hand to Paul who ignored it.

"Wanna dance with me?" Matthew asked as he held out his hand.

"Uhhh...Paul?" I asked him although I honestly don't know why.

"Why should I care?" He grunted as he placed his hands in his pockets and walked away.

"I guess I could, huh?" I smiled at him awkwardly as I took his hand. I can't believe I'm feeling too awkward in my own party. I guess inviting both Paul and Matthew wasn't one of my best ideas at all. There's just too much tension! I can't believe I really didn't think about that.

**-xoOox-**

"_So raise your glass if you are wrong__  
><em>_In all the right ways__  
><em>_All my underdogs, we will never be, never be__  
><em>_Anything but loud__  
><em>_And nitty gritty dirty little freaks__  
><em>_Won't you come on, and come on, and__  
><em>_Raise your glass__ "_

The music continued to blare from the speakers as I continued to dance. I've been dancing for about an hour straight now but I still don't feel tired. Paul was sitting together with Ash and Gary being as quiet as he can be looking as if he was deep in thought. I wonder what he thinks of my party?

I saw Matthew over at the counter drinking whatever it was he's drinking so I decided to go over and talk to him. I struggled my way against those dancing or more like grinding people and made my way to Matthew.

"Matthew!" I smiled at him but it quickly frowned as I saw that he drank about ten glasses of whatever he was drinking. Good thing there wasn't alcohol in them or May is definitely getting it.

"Hi –hic- Da-hic-wn!" He said drowsily. Oh crap! He's not drunk, is he? May is so getting it this time! I stomped my way over to May and dragged her out of the dance floor.

"You ordered alcoholic drinks for the bar?" I shouted at her but she didn't seem to hear it since the music was too loud.

"WHAT?" She asked.

"YOU ORDERED ALCOHOLIC DRINKS? I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU THAT NO ALCOHOLIC DRINK IS ALLOWED IN THIS PARTY?" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Everything's gone wrong. VERY WRONG.

"OH WELL THEY RAN OUT OF NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES SO I ORDERED THOSE 20% FULL ALCOHOLIC DRINKS! DON'T WORRY IT WON'T GET YOU DRUNK TOO EASILY!" she shouted while still dancing to the loud music.

"REALLY NOW?" I asked her angrily.

"BESIDES, WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN?" she shouted. Oh I'll tell you! Matthew is freaking drunk.

"MATTHEW'S DRUNK YOU MORON!" I said but she didn't seem to understand since the next song was louder this time. She probably thought I was saying 'see you later' to her since she went back to the dance floor.

This party is turning into a mess.

**-xoOox-**

**NORMAL POV**

"Matthew! You got to stop drinking! The last thing I need to be dragging drunk people out of this house!" Dawn shouted at the drunken Matthew who didn't seem to understand what she said.

She turned to face the bartender, "YOU BETTER STOP GIVING HIM HIS DRINKS WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT!" Dawn said pointing squarely at the bartender's nose.

"Y-yes ma'am." The bartender nervously replied and proceeded to cleaning the bottles up.

"Matthew, I suggest you come home right now. It's probably not good for you to stay here much longer a-" But Dawn got cut off as Matthew walked over to DJ and grabbed the mic.

"Hey –hic- people! It's Dawn's –hic- 18th birthday! It's my girl-hic-friend's birthday so you better –hic- greet her! That sweet –hic- chick over there –hic- is my girl!" He said and stepped down from the small stage as the crowd roared in 'ooohs' and 'aaaahs' and some squeals.

"Come on people! This guy is drunk!" Dawn shouted but nobody seemed to hear her. She looked over to where Paul was sitting and surprisingly, he stared back and shook his head in a disapproving manner. Great! What else could go wrong? Dawn thought.

"Hey Dawn! –hic- let's go inside! It's –hic- freezing out here." He said and before Dawn could even reject his offer, he grabbed her wrist in a painful grip hurting her in the process.

"Let go!" Dawn shouted at him as she tried to wiggle my right arm free with the help of her left arm. But he was too strong as he already dragged her to the backdoor of the house and headed inside the guest room which was near the kitchen.

**-xoOox-**

Of course, everybody was busy having too much fun that nobody noticed Matthew dragging away the poor birthday girl to the room to do what he wanted to do. Everybody except a certain plumhead who wasn't enjoying the party at all. What's this guy up to this time? Paul thought.

All Paul wanted was to spend more time with Dawn since it was his birthday and to give her his gift but Matthew just had to come in the picture and ruin their moment together.

**-xoOox-**

"Matthew?" Dawn asked nervously. "W-what are you doing?" She asked as she slowly backed up while Matthew was slowly making his way towards her.

"I want –hic- you." Oh crap!

"You're drunk! You don't know anything that you're saying! Just...go home and take a rest!" Dawn shouted at him but he seemed to ignore her words. He trudged forward a little more until Dawn was backed up to the wall, her face inches away from Matthew's.

"Matthew, p-please I...l-let's just g-go outside." Dawn pleaded him but he was too drunk to even listen to a word she said.

Dawn closed her eyes as she was in the brink of tears. She felt something cold and rough caress her arms gently but roughly at the same time. Those certain pair of hands travelled down her waist and held them securely and soon she felt something hard against her mouth. She opened her eyes to see Matthew kissing her, much to her distaste. She, obviously, didn't kiss back. Her mind told her to push him away but her body was shivering from fright too much that it was hard for her to fight back.

She felt him force his tongue inside her mouth, exploring it. Her knees began to shake in fear and was prepared to collapse when suddenly she felt the same rough hand again hold her under her thigh caressing it roughly. She felt a moment of silence until she was forcibly pushed towards the bed of the guest room and Matthew started kissing her like there's no more tomorrow. She wanted to break free so much but Matthew was just too strong. She let out cries, not of pleasure but of pain as Matthew touched certain parts which should not be touched. One word immediately came up in her mind: RAPE!

She wanted to shake free but his hands were travelling down faster than it was a while ago and soon enough, his hands ripped the sleeve of her dress by accident bringing it back to its previous tube design.

She finally felt the strength and pushed Matthew as hard she could and tried to escape as soon as possible. "GET OFF ME MATTHEW! YOU'RE DRUNK! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Dawn cried. She tried to run out of the room but just as she was about to turn the knob on, she was yanked from the hair by her 'drunk rapist'.

"You are such a naughty –hic- kid." He whispered in Dawn's ear which sent shivers down her spine. He kissed her roughly again and zipped down her dress as fast as he could. Dawn banged the door once hoping that someone would hear her cries and help her.

"P-Please M-m-math-thew s-stop it-t" Dawn cried out. Matthew didn't listen as he began kissing her firmly on the neck while rubbing her sides gently. The door suddenly flew open and a purple blur attacked Matthew right on the face.

"GET OFF HER YOU IDIOT! I CAN SUE YOU FOR RAPING AN INNOCENT 18-Year old GIRL YOU BASTARD!" Paul shouted as he continued to punch Matthew on the face.

"Dawn over here –hic- has a great –hic- body." It took Dawn a while to register that Matthew had just zipped down her dress. She blushed furiously when she realized this and quickly wrapped a blanket around her to cover herself.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU FREAKING SEX ADDICT! GET OUT!" Paul fumed angrily at him.

"Oh yeah, what are _you_ gonna do?" Matthew taunted Paul whose hands were now clenched into fists, his fingers almost digging into his palms.

"What am _I_ gonna do? WRONG QUESTION." Everything happened in a blur for Dawn. All she saw was Paul beating up Matthew and literally kicking him out of the house. The party stopped, the music went down and everybody rushed only to see a bruised Matthew running or rather, groggily walking away to his car.

"Party's over guys. I really enjoyed your company but I have to fix something right now. Thanks for coming and see you on Monday." Dawn said quietly clutching the blanket tightly around her, her face stained with unshed tears. There were a couple of "unhhs" and "awwws" but after a few moments, they left understanding Dawn's situation right now. Misty and May each gave her a hug and left.

Dawn went up to her room and sat on her bed crying her eyes out. She changed into a white pair of shorts and a blue tanktop.

"It's alright to cry from time to time." Dawn was startled and quickly looked up and saw the same lavender head who saved her a while back.

"P-paul. I-I thought you l-left." Dawn said wiping away her tears and tried to smile for him.

"You're faking your smile. There's nothing wrong with releasing your emotions. It's better than keeping them inside you and getting a heart ache." Paul explained quietly as he sat next to Dawn on the bed. Then, Dawn launched herself into Paul and cried on his chest while he awkwardly stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort her. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Dawn realized how awkward she's making Paul feel at the moment.

"Sorry, I had an outburst." She said with a light chuckle. "I-I just feel so violated. I feel disgusting. Letting a guy I don't even love kiss me like that and probably rape me was so much for me to tolerate." She ranted.

"It happens. You know how guys are when they're drunk." Paul grunted as he just shrugged and continued to hug Dawn.

"Thank you, Paul. For saving me a while ago. If you weren't there, I bet I'm still feeling the torture right now." She said while smiling up at him.

"You're welcome." Paul said and stood up about to leave when Dawn immediately grabbed his wrist pulling him closer into another hug.

"This is so far...one of the best birthdays ever. I think you have the right to know that." She mumbled on his chest as she hugged him again. Paul raised an eyebrow obviously confused. Who would want to be raped on her birthday?

"Really?" was all he said.

"Because tonight, my lifelong hero saved me once again. And I'm having a moment right now with the best person in the world that I could ever ask for." She said as she looked up at him.

"W-what do you mean?" It was Paul's turn to get nervous this time.

"What I'm trying to say is Paul, I-I..." She took a deep breath and continued, "love you" barely a whisper. "You're like the best happening that came to my life. I don't even know what I'd do without you! I've always felt this way Paul but I was just so afraid of rejection that I didn't tell you up to now. Paul, I've loved you for as long as I can remember and that's a very long time. You were always there to help me out, save me, you were always willing to protect me. Every time I'm with you, I feel safe and happy. I don't care if you don't feel the same way, the mere fact that you heard what I feel is enough." Dawn said.

"I love you too, Dawn. I don't think I'll need to explain that. I'm not that talkative." Paul said while he smirked.

"You love me?" Dawn asked in disbelief as Paul nodded.

"I have for a long time. Likewise, I'm afraid of rejection." Paul Shinji? Afraid? Of rejection? Well this is a first!

She smiled widely at Paul and leaned in to softly kiss him on the lips. He kissed back. Dawn nibbling on his lower lip while his lips were clamped on her upper lip. It may have been just a simple kiss but it was enough to fit all the emotions they have felt since they met each other. It was the kiss that signified a new beginning. The kiss, although simple, gave them a feeling of ecstasy and fulfilment. It gave them a sense of security and most of all, it gave them the assurance that nothing will ever tear them apart and that they can help one another in all challenges they will encounter.

After a few seconds or minutes, they broke away gasping for air.

"You're a good kisser, you know that?" Dawn told Paul who just nodded and said, "I know I am."

"Still arrogant." Dawn said.

"A reason why you love me so much." Paul smirked while Dawn just shoved him playfully. Paul dug through his pocket and took out a red velvet box and opened it revealing the charm bracelet he bought earlier.

"Happy Birthday, Dawn." Paul said gently putting the bracelet on her arm. "What do you think about it?"

"It looks beautiful and expensive!" Dawn said as her eyes glimmered in tears.

"I bought it especially for you." Paul said. And with that, the new couple shared another kiss more passionate than the previous one.

**END OF CHAPTER**

**What do you guys think? **

**Please read and review and no flames. Thank you!**


	11. Plans and Dates

**So what did you guys think of my previous chapter? Here's another one and I hope you like it. Thank you for the nice reviews!**

**Previously:  
><strong>_"Still arrogant." Dawn said._

"_A reason why you love me so much." Paul smirked while Dawn just shoved him playfully. Paul dug through his pocket and took out a red velvet box and opened it revealing the charm bracelet he bought earlier._

"_Happy Birthday, Dawn." Paul said gently putting the bracelet on her arm. "What do you think about it?"_

"_It looks beautiful and expensive!" Dawn said as her eyes glimmered in tears._

"_I bought it especially for you." Paul said. And with that, the new couple shared another kiss more passionate than the previous one._

**-xoOox-**

**Falling Chapter 11  
>NORMAL POV<strong>

Criiiiing! The cellphone alarm rang much to the annoyance of a sleeping plum head. It was two weeks after Dawn's birthday party and two weeks after both her and Paul got together. Although, it was still a secret they kept between the two of them. It's not that they didn't want everyone to know. Well, technically that's one reason. But they didn't tell anyone YET because of people squirming in their lives. It's been two weeks since Dawn hasn't talked to and looked at Matthew and about four days since Matthew decided to leave her be. It was his fault.

Paul groggily got up from his bed and quickly took a shower. As soon as he was done, he wore a black graffiti shirt that said, "NOT YOUR JERK" and a pair of dark pants and his blue vans. Still keeping up with his mysterious reputation. He took a piece of sandwich on the counter and quickly ate it.

"You in a rush Paul?" Another plumhead asked. He was a little bit taller than Paul and his hair was tied up in a low ponytail.

"Yes" was all Paul could answer.

"Where are you going?" His brother asked, smirking mischievously at the younger one.

"None of your business, Reggie!" Paul fumed at his annoying brother. Reggie just sighed and said, "Who's it with?"

Paul raised an eyebrow at his brother. "What do you mean, 'who's it with?'?" Paul asked.

"I mean, who are you going out with?" Reggie asked still smirking.

"I SAID IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! How'd you even know I was going out with someone?" Paul growled angrily probably because of the fact that his brother knew what he was hiding.

"I used to be like that Paul. I'm always in a hurry every time I have dates with a girl. So who's the lady?" He asked, nudging Paul with his elbow.

"Dawn." And with that, Paul left the house and continued his way to Dawn's house.

**-xoOox-**

Paul wasn't the only one rushing. Dawn was seriously freaking out, unable to decide which clothes to wear. She can't have her mom help her right now since she and Vince were out on what they said, a "business trip". 'They're probably pleasing themselves in some random beach resort right now.' Dawn thought to herself as she continued digging through her closet.

_**DING DONG!**_

"Oh no! Paul's here and I'm still in my night gown! WAIT!" Dawn shouted as loud as she could hoping Paul could hear it.

_**DING DONG!  
>DING DONG!<br>DING DONG!**_

Dawn finally answered since all the continuous dings were annoying her. She rushed through the stairs and opened the door which showed her handsome boyfriend smirking slightly at what she was wearing.

"I see you're ready for our date." Paul said sarcastically as he sat lazily on the couch.

"Sorry! I'm having a hard time choosing which clothes to wear." Dawn sweatdropped. For a fashion freak, she was definitely not one who would easily get clothes done in a minute.

"You'll look beautiful in anything. Now, go take a bath and get ready. I'll be down here waiting for you, okay?" Paul said as Dawn nodded and rushed to the stairs.

She literally threw her clothes on the ground, as she always does when in a rush which is almost always, and found something nice which she bought when she was in Lilycove with her family. She quickly went into the bathroom and took a short (LONG) shower.

She wore a purple tube dress reaching a little above her knees and a white jacket which reached just below her breasts. She then slipped into her white high-heeled shoes which rose for about two inches. She put a cute pink beret on and the charm bracelet Paul gave her on her 18th birthday.

She brushed her smooth midnight blue hair, straightening all single blue locks and wore it in a high-ponytail. She put strawberry scent lip gloss on her lips and sprayed her strawberry scented perfume all over her. After a few minutes of preparations, she was ready for her first official date with Paul. She grabbed her wallet, her phone and her bag then went downstairs.

Paul was still seated on the couch reading a magazine he got out from nowhere, "I should've known that you take almost an hour to get ready," he said not taking his eyes off the magazine.

"Hey! It doesn't take just a few minutes to look this good." Dawn said confidently, getting Paul's attention. He looked at her in admiration although he didn't show it but he most certainly admired the blue-haired girl in front of him.

"Hn? You look beautiful, Troublesome." He simply said as he stood up and got out his keys. "Ready to go?"

"Yup!" she said as she made her way to Paul's car.

**-xoOox-**

"Got any fives?" Ash said.

"No." They all said simultaneously. While Paul and Dawn got ready for their date, Ash, Gary, May and Misty were sat on a round coffee table in some coffee shop playing a card game. They were actually on a double date but it turned out to be one boring double date.

"Well, this is boring." May complained as she slammed her cards on the table.

"Never make Ash plan anything, anymore." Misty said as the others nodded in agreement.

"I thought you were supposed to be my girlfriend?" Ash asked May in a hurt tone who just giggled and cuddled close to him. "I am. But I have to admit that you plan things in a boring fashion. No offense. I still love you though." May said with a chuckle.

"Okay fine, I'll admit that." Ash said giving up.

"Let's talk about something else. Hmm..." May thought of something to talk about when Misty suddenly sat up, elbowing Gary on the stomach in the process by accident.

"Are Paul and Dawn together?" Misty shot out from out of the blue getting all three persons' attentions.

"What makes you say that?" Ash asked her.

"Yeah. They never told us anything. What makes you think that?" May asked curiously.

"Well, if you guys haven't noticed, they've been _literally_ inseparable. They go everywhere together. They eat together and they walk home together and they practically do almost everything together." Misty explained to the them.

"They don't do everything together. They have different bathrooms. DUH" Ash said stupidly.

"Perv." May said as he shot him a look. Ash just sank down further in his seat.

"I bet you twenty bucks that they're dating, Ketchum!" Gary shouted at him who shot up once again and grinned mischievously.

"You're on. I bet they're not dating. Paul's not that type of guy." Ash said.

"I bet they've been dating behind our backs." Gary said confidently.

"You're on, brother!" Ash said as they both shook hands while the girls just sighed at their boyfriends' childish games.

**-xoOox-**

"So where are we going, Paul?" Dawn asked her boyfriend.

"That cafe shop downtown." He simply said as he was focusing on the road, his left hand on the stirring wheel while his right hand was holding Dawn's hand.

"I am so excited! We're going on our first date. You have no idea how excited I am! I wasn't able to sleep properly last night thinking about our date and I think I'm talking too much." She quickly calmed down and smiled widely at him.

"You talk too much. Anyway, we're here now so we better get in." Paul said as he put his arm around Dawn's shoulders and led her inside the cafe.

"This place looks pretty and-OH MY GOD WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?" Dawn shouted. Paul looked over to where Dawn was glancing and saw Ash, May, Misty and Gary playing a boring game of cards. Unlike Dawn, he seemed to not care at all.

"What if they find out about us?" Dawn said in a panicky voice to Paul.

"I don't really mind." He said followed by a grunt.

"Really?"

"Yes." He simply said and kissed her on the forehead making Dawn blush.

"Want to go to their table?" Dawn asked while Paul just nodded. They approached the quartet who were now slumped on the couch, absolutely bored.

"Hey guys!" Dawn greeted them, Paul's arm still around her.

"Hi Dawn and Paul," Misty greeted and the quickly shot upwards nearly elbowing Gary on the chin, "ARE YOU GUYS DATING?"

"Yes." Paul answered much to the surprise of their friends or in Paul's case, "acquaintances".

"Ha! I win Ketchum! Pay up!" Gary said triumphantly slapping Ash hard on the back.

"I can't believe I lost twenty bucks on a stupid bet!" He grumbled.

"You guys had a bet on us?" Dawn asked while they nodded.

"Ash bet that you're just best friends being...best friends and Gary bet that you guys have been dating behind our backs which is technically true." May explained in a knowingly manner.

"Interesting. Here's a tip...NEVER MAKE BETS ABOUT ME AND PAUL EVER AGAIN." Dawn said loudly, somewhat irritated by the fact that they were just having bets about them like they're some kind of game.

"How long have you two been together?" Ash stupidly asked.

"It happened during my party after what Matthew did to me, plumhead here came to my rescue, we had a talk and voila here we are in each other's arms. If you excuse us, we'll take the seat behind you." Dawn said referring to the loveseat behind their friends.

"Yeah, let's give them private time. Who knows what they'd be doing." Misty said and winked causing Paul to, unnaturally, blush.

Paul and Dawn both glared at her and went to sit beside each other on the loveseat between them. They had ordered their food and started to eat as soon as it was given to them.

"So..when's your first game?" Dawn asked as she cuddled closer to Paul sipping her chocolate shake.

"A month from now. Why? You going to cheer me on?" Paul said in his usual emotionless tone but with a little enthusiasm hidden. As he said this, he pulled Dawn closer to him and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Maybe. If you don't want me to be there, then it's fine." Dawn said with a hint of sadness.

"Who says I don't need you?"

"You're cheesy and corny, you know that?" Dawn said then giggled.

"I'm not corny, I'm just mysterious. Too mysterious that you think it's weird for me to joke around or something like that. I guess I proved your wrong then." Paul stated.

"Right. So when's our next date?" Dawn asked curiously.

"I'm not even done taking you to the best place in the world and here you are asking me this kind of question, troublesome." Paul said as he smirked.

"Hey!"

"Let's go." Paul said as he placed the money on top of the table and left, before their friends could notice them.

After a few minutes of walking on the crowded alleys, they reached a peaceful field away from the commercial buildings. It was a large patch of land near a forest and was very beautiful. The wind was strong but gentle, the sun was hot but not too hot to make you sweat, the grass was soft, the flowers were very pretty and pretty much, everything looked so beautiful. Dawn ran around the field in delight and went back to Paul.

"This place is pretty, Paul. How did you find it?" Dawn asked in curiosity as she gave her boyfriend a huge hug.

"I have my ways." He simply said and sat down on the grass followed by Dawn.

"This is the place I usually go to when I want to run and hide, think about things and when I'm bored at home." Paul explained to Dawn as he laid down on the grass to which Dawn also followed resting her head on Paul's chest, his arms under her waist, pulling her closer.

They soon drifted to sleep in each other's arms, enjoying each other's company.

**-xoOox-**

"Dawn is such a cheater!" Ursula shouted as she read a blog post from their school gossiper's site about Dawn and Paul dating each other.

"First she flirts with Paul, then goes on a date with Matthew then dates Paul? SHE IS SO LOW!" Ursula yelled angrily.

"Hold on, girl! I thought you were over Paul?" Lea asked.

"Yeah, you, like, told us about a week ago." Clare replied.

"Maybe."

**-xoOox-**

More than a month has already passed and it was the football championships. Melbourne's very own football team were down by a few points while, obviously, the other team was leading.

"No pressure guys. We have 20 seconds left on the clock. Just forget about the thousands of students watching you hear. The shouts and yells and cheers and everything. Forget about the time limit and the fact that this is a championship. Forget all about those and all you need to do is score and that trophy is ours for the win. Alright? No pressure at all." Coach Dustin said nervously.

"TOO MUCH PRESSURE!" Ash shouted irritably while getting back to the field.

"WE CAN DO THIS TEAM ALRIGHT? KETCHUM YOU GO BLOCK OVER THAT WAY LIKE SOME KIND OF DISTRACTION OR WHATEVER OAK AND RITCHIE HERE COULD HANDLE THE BALL AND I'LL MAKE A RUN FOR IT! THE OTHERS BETTER BLOCK THEM CAREFULLY OR I WON'T HAVE MY CHANCE. NOW LET'S GO! GET YOUR GAME ON AND WIN THIS!" Paul shouted to his team as they went back to the field. This is one of the rare times when Paul is suddenly panicky and trembling.

The clock started ticking again and they went back to their assigned positions. Just as there was only nine seconds left till the game ends, Paul suddenly grabbed the Paul from someone and with 2 seconds left on the timer, he through it with all his might and scored earning the team the victory.

The Melbourne students jumped up and down of joy and triumph after winning once again the championship. Paul smirked and took off his helmet as he headed over to the men's locker room.

"That was one of the best games ever!" Ash exclaimed as he prepared to take a bath.

"Hurry up and take a bath, awarding ceremony in a few minutes, smarty." Gary taunted as he pushed Ash forcefully into his cubicle, locked it and left the screaming Ash on his own.

"What did you do that for?" One of their teammates asked.

"Revenge after knocking my elbow with the ball." Gary said coolly as he went to his cubicle and took a bath.

**-xoOox-**

"Those awarding ceremonies take forever." Ash complained.

"Stop complaining, Ketchum. You're annoying me." Paul grunted while Ash just glared at him and resumed to his silence. They continued to walk in silence until Paul was tackled into a hug by the blue blur he recognized as Dawn.

"Congratulations Paul!" She squealed as she clung her arms around his neck pulling him close. "You were awesome back there!" Ash and Gary coughed a little bit loudly signalling that they were still there.

"Don't worry you guys were awesome too. May and Misty are at the park if you're wondering where they are." Dawn said as the two left leaving Dawn and Paul alone.

"So what do you want to do now?" Paul asked.

"I have no idea." Dawn said.

"Oh"

"Yeah"

"So"

"Yes?"

"Nothing"

"I'm bored"

"You're always bored"

"I know"

The two just sat on the bench extremely bored and waited for something fun to happen. Unfortunately, nothing fun appeared on their minds.

**-xoOox-**

Matthew was lounging around in the lounging area, no kidding, reading a book you probably haven't read before. He was sitting peacefully. He was sat on a soft one-person sofa with his feet raised up on a foot stool by the fireplace of their school. (a/n: It's dismissal time by the way)

Just then, the certain pink-haired girl approached next to him. Ursula was still wearing the yellow school shirt she bought for the game and her cheerleading skirt and shoes. Obviously, she was trying to lure Matthew to her.

"So...hi Matthew" she said nervously. Matthew quickly closed his book and looked up at her.

"Oh it's you. Hello Ursula." Matthew said in a bored tone. He was slightly irritated by the fact that she was disturbing his peaceful moment with the book he was reading but he let it pass. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to have some company." She said as she twirled a lock of her pink hair around her index finger.

"What happened to your friends?" He asked.

"I can't find them." She whined in a childish manner.

"Right." Matthew simply said and resumed to reading his book again.

"I know you like Dawn." Ursula said, an evil glint appearing on her eyes.

"Not anymore, I don't." Matthew said as he tried to concentrate on reading his book. He was fully aware of Ursula's quirks and evil plans that he didn't want to be a part of them.

"I like Paul. You like Dawn. How about we get what's rightfully ours for ourselves?" Ursula said excited to share the mischievous plan she came up with.

"No."

"Don't you want to be the one dating Dawn? The one beside Dawn? The one who can always do what he wants with Dawn?" Ursula asked hoping that he would say yes.

"No."

"Don't you want to be the one in Paul's place? The one who gets to touch Dawn anytime he wants? The one who gets to take Dawn out anytime he wants?" Ursula convinced him.

"No."

"Oh come on! I'm trying to help you with your love problems! I know you still like Dawn and that it hurts for you to see her together with Paul all the time. You should at least try and get what's rightfully yours!" Ursula shouted in an annoyed manner at him.

"Would you please let me resume to reading my book? It would be great if I had a quiet environment over here. If you wish to rant some more then go to some online forum or something. Climb a mountain, shout, whatever. Leave me alone with my book, please." Matthew said calmly hoping that she would go away.

"Fine!" She scoffed and walked, more like stomped, her way out.

"Girls." Matthew sighed and continued reading his book.

**-xoOox-**

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**What did you guys think? I'm sorry that it took to long to be finished and posted. I had school so I have to study and do schoolwork. Anyway, I hope it's not too vague and all. Please review and no flames please. Thank you!**


	12. The Future

**Hey guys! I hope you liked the previous chapter and thank you for your kind reviews. I really appreciate it. Anyway, I'll be adding some of Dawn's family issues (probably if I think of something good to write) on this chapter to add more effect to the story. And to live up to its DRAMA category...well mostly on Dawn's part. **

**Read. Review. And I hope you like it!**

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

Five more days till Christmas! I'm excited and not excited at the same time. I'm excited because...who isn't excited for Christmas? Then again, after dad died 2 years ago, Christmas hasn't been the same ever since. I celebrated Christmas two years ago with my mom and my cousins but it was downright boring. They were all chatting about things I don't even care about. Last year, I celebrated Christmas alone with my mom although she was busy talking to a few of her fellow workers to even have time for me. I guess Christmas wasn't as fun as it used to be with my dad.

Right now, I'm looking at our family albums when dad was still alive. My smile was like the biggest smile in the whole world. My mom and dad were having a snowball war against me, which I have to admit was the most fun I had for a while now. I flipped the page and saw a picture of me and my dad playing the guitar hero set I got when I was 13. Below the picture was a message from dad saying, "I wish for us to celebrate more Christmas-es in the future.

I took out another album when I was fifteen. It was the year dad died from the accident on the building they were working on. He just had to be an architect! I found a picture of me wearing my gold medal from the local pageant which was held in this town and my dad was handing me the bouquet of flowers. I also found a picture of me and my parents eating at this fancy restaurant over at eterna city during my 15th birthday.

I was glancing too much at the albums in front of me that I hardly realized that tears were already making their way out of my eyes. Salty tears were dripping on the page of the album. How I wish my dad was here with me to celebrate Christmas. It's different without him here. I mean, dude! I'm celebrating Christmas with Vince. THAT SICK BASTARD IS CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS WITH ME AND MOM! For the record, he still hurts me behind my mom's back, if not physically, he says vicious things and hurtful things to me.

I just wish that this Christmas would be one good occasion...

"DAWN!" my mom called out from downstairs. I groaned at the sound of her voice. I was too lazy to get up from bed and the albums I was looking at were not helping. I didn't feel like doing anything except lie down on my bed and think through things. I wasn't even in the mood to go out and enjoy the snow today like I usually would. Just thinking about Vince spending Christmas with me and my mom was depressing.

"DAWN! GET DOWN HERE!" mom shouted and I had not choice but to get up from my bed and go downstairs waiting for whatever errand I'm supposed to be doing right now.

"What is it?" I asked my mom. I was completely annoyed by the fact that I had to do errands the first thing in the morning.

"Vince and I are going Christmas shopping today. Wanna come?" mom asked.

"No" I simply said.

"I had a feeling you won't join us. Do you mind if you guard the house for the day? You can just invite your friends over if you get bored." She said. As long as they're not with me, I'm totally cool with it.

"Right."

"Well, we're leaving now. Vince has been waiting quite a long time in the car now. So bye, sweetie." She said as she gave me a peck on the cheek and left.

I went upstairs again and tried to go back to sleep but I felt that I couldn't anymore. The photo albums were neatly piled on top of my study desk. I glanced over at my stuff and found something shining and glimmering from behind my family picture's photo frame.

I took a look at it then picked it up only to find a small golden pendant clinging on it. Well, this is something I've never seen before. I wonder when it got here. I opened it and found a picture of me, dad and mom on the left and a short note on the right. It said:

"_Dear Dawn, Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy this special day. Always remember that I love you and your mom so much!"_

Then I remembered, it was dad's Christmas gift for me when I was 10. He told me to always wear it. I lost it about a year ago and I guess it decided to show up. It's been hiding behind my picture frame for a whole year! Now, I truly burst out crying from all the memories of my past. I always cried days before Christmas ever since dad died but this time it's different. I'm celebrating Christmas with my new "dad" and I just can't handle seeing another guy replace my father. It was too much.

I took a bath and dressed myself up in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a botton up plaid blouse and my purple converse. I threw on my snow coat on top of it and went out of the house to go for a walk. I kept walking and walking until I reached the park and sat on a bench beside a small lake.

I was starting to get envious of the families playing with the snow on the open field. I remember when I used to play snowball fights with my dad and my mom would always take pictures of us and all those family stuff. Today's another one of those reminiscent days where I, well, reminisce on the past. Unlike my birthday, Christmas was more exciting and fun.

I was just sitting gloomily on the bench waiting for something exciting to happen. Unfortunately nothing ha-

"Pretty girls shouldn't be sitting alone in the middle of such big place." A voice said which scared me. I turned around and saw the owner laughing. I rubbed my eyes and saw no other than Paul laughing at my scared expression.

"You actually thought I was some rapist or something?" He said through a chuckle. Paul must be in a really good mood today. I mean, he's PAUL. He doesn't laugh or play pranks on people. He's silent and emotionless and mysterious. I wonder what's up.

"You're in a good mood today. Mind telling me why?" I said as I stood next to him.

"It's Christmas. I should at least be jolly and pulling a few jokes on you wouldn't hurt." He said while smirking at me. I nudged him playfully.

"What are you doing here alone?" He asked in a serious tone of voice.

"I was lonely at home so I decided to take a walk and ended up sitting near the bench." I explained to him while he just nodded.

"Your eyes are puffy. Have you been crying?" He asked concerned. Paul may not seem like it but he is very observant. As much as I didn't want him worrying too much about me, I still appreciated the fact that at least someone still worries for me besides my other friends. Yes, Paul is a friend. A special friend that is.

I simply nodded at him and to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me affectionately and pulled me closer to him. He then told me, "How about we go to my place and let's talk about stuff? Besides I needed some company too. I hate seeing Reggie and Maylene cuddling on the couch." I lightly chuckled at his statement and we made our way towards his house.

**-xoOox-**

**JOHANNA'S POV (for a change)**

I've been looking through lots and lots of stores and I just can't seem to find one gift to satisfy my daughter. I already bought all our relatives and friends gifts but I can't find the right gift to give to my daughter. I don't even know what she likes.

"What are we still doing here? Haven't you bought all the presents you need?" Vince asked me, a little impatiently. I can't blame him. I've been searching for a gift for my daughter for over an hour.

"I'm sorry but I just can't seem to find a perfect gift for my daughter." I told him while he just nodded and walked along with me.

"So where do we go after shopping?" I asked him.

"We're going to your sister's Pre-Christmas party right?" He said.

"Oh yeah! I remember now!" I said and resumed to searching gifts for Dawn. Have I really been that distant to my daughter that I don't even know much about her anymore? Or is it her that's been distant lately? Whoever it was, I was surely feeling guilty about it.

**-xoOox-**

**PAUL'S POV**

As we reached my house, I immediately made a cup of hot chocolate for Dawn and I since she's probably shivering from the cold atmosphere outside. She sat next to the fireplace and her eyes were wandering around my house. When was the last time she went here? Two years ago? No wonder she's staring at the place in awe.

After a few minutes, I placed the tray of hot chocolate and the cookies on the small glass table in front of us. I didn't buy the cookies if you guys are wondering. I actually made it. The hard and cold Paul Shinji bakes such soft and warm things like cookies. Don't ask. I just do.

"These cookies are delicious! Where did you buy them?" Great. Even my girlfriend doesn't believe that I cook or bake for the matter.

"I baked them." I simply said and sat down next to her on the couch.

"You baked them?" She said in a surprised manner.

"Yes."

"Are you sure there isn't anything in here that would make me sick or vomit or whatever?" She asked and bit her lip, trying to hide a stifling giggle.

"I baked them alright! I didn't put anything weird in them!" I growled at her then softened after a few moments.

"Right." She shrugged and continued munching on my cookies. She should taste Reggie's cookies and she'll know the reason why Ash comes here and sneaks in the kitchen to steal his cookies. I'm not the kind of guy who usually compliments on someone's baking, much less for my brother, but I have to be honest that Reggie's cookies are the best. Not that I care...

"So..why were you crying? Mind telling me the reason why?" I asked her.

"You see, every Christmas, well every almost Christmas, I always glance through our family photo albums. Well, you remember about my father's death two years ago right?" She asked and I nodded.

"For the past two Christmas celebrations, I've been celebrating it alone. Not literally alone but alone in the sense that I have no one to be with. Before dad died, we used to spend the holidays playing in the snow, eating in restaurants and all. I just realized today that Christmas won't be the same anymore especially since I'm supposed to be celebrating it with a step-father I don't even like." She paused and took a deep breath probably to prevent tears from escaping her eyes.

She then continued, "I just miss my dad so much that I wish he was here with me to celebrate it. I miss everything that we did together during Christmas. I know I should be happy to still have my mom beside me but lately she's been busy with her work or Vince that she barely spends time with me anymore. I...I just want to feel loved by my family, that's all. Ever since mom got remarried, everything turned upside down and I don't even feel happy anymore. I know I've got you and my friends but it's just different living in a family who treats you like your no one else but just another person living in the same house with them. My life is a mess, that's what."

This time, she let her tears flow freely from her cheeks, releasing any sad emotion she wanted to release. I felt sorry for her and I couldn't even find the right words to tell her. I could say, 'it's gonna be okay' but even I'm sure that those words won't soothe her. She's been living in a life full of hell for over two years and, not to mention, her mom has been ignorant about her own daughter's feelings. She's even tolerating some guy who's always one step closer to killing her daughter.

I gently hugged Dawn and stroked her hair hoping that it would soothe all the pain she's gone through, even though I knew it wouldn't.

After few minutes of just hugging, we broke apart and I let her rest on my chest.

"You know what, I'm not usually one to say this but we have to enjoy and be happy this day and the next days." I said to her. I felt her lightly giggle.

"As long as I'm with you, I'm happy." She said softly while I smiled down again. This girl changed me. She turned me from the jerk I was before to a loving and caring guy. I liked it. And I loved her. I loved the girl who's resting in my arms right now.

"You're cheesy and corny, you know that?" I smirked as I spoke to her. Clearly, I used her own words against her but it seemed like she didn't mind and just smiled up to me.

We were having an intense yet fun staring contest when the doorbell rang. I groaned irritably and opened the door revealing Reggie and his girlfriend, Maylene.

"Oh hi there Dawn!" Reggie called out while Dawn just smiled up at him.

"You're home early." I said in the Paul-like way again.

"We were bored so we decided to go home." Reggie explained.

"Right. Dawn, let's go to my room. You do not want to see what these two do when they're alone." I warned her and she skipped past the couch and headed towards my room which wasn't that hard to find as it was the dark coloured door on the left with the imprints, "PAUL. Get out if you know what's good for you."

We entered my room and Dawn immediately jumped and lied lazily on my bed while I sat beside her. I could tell that she was really tired although I don't really know what she's tired of.

"I remember when you used to sleep on some bed like a car. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen." She said while I just smirked.

"You're just saying that because we're dating."

"I did have a crush on you back when we were younger, you know." She told me surprising me a bit. JUST A BIT.

"What if I say that I also had a crush on you back when we were younger?" I asked as I grinned mischievously at her.

"I have no idea. I can't believe we had to avoid each other for a year just to let our feelings out. It would have been easier if we weren't afraid." She said.

"Who says I was afraid?"

"Me."

"Right."

"Just admit it that you didn't have the balls to ask me out until three months ago." Great, now she's using my words against me.

"I wasn't scared. I was just thinking through things." I said coolly hiding the fact that I was really scared back then.

"Oh well, the past is past anyway...So have you been preparing for Christmas? Like putting up decorations and stuff like those?" Dawn asked. Come to think of it, I let Reggie do all the work since I was too busy or more like lazy and probably because he was too eager to design the house.

"Reggie put them up, I just helped with the sorting out, that's all. I'm not really one to help people out." I told her.

"So what are you doing for Christmas?" She asked me.

"Same old usual things I do. Nothing new. How about you?" I asked her.

"Different this time. I wonder if Vince would be a tad bit nicer to me on Christmas day. At least one day with no bullying or painful words or whatever." She said. I smiled softly at her and cuddled her closer to me.

"You know, when we get married in the future, I get to spend all my Christmas-es with you." I told her.

"We're too young to get married, Paul." She replied.

"I know. I'm planning in advanced. Advanced planning gets everything done easily." I explained and she just nodded and went back to resting on my chest.

"I wonder how many kids we'll be having when we get married sometime in the future. I want 5." She said taking me aback.

"F-five?" I asked nervously. SHE WANTS FIVE CHILDREN. THAT MEANS FIVE NIGHTS OF YOU KNOW. Not that I'm against it but is she serious? How the heck are we gonna raise five children?

"You sure are surprised with that considering that I was only kidding." She laughed.

"Right."

"I'm cool with any number of children as long as you're the daddy." She said smiling lightly at me. To be honest, I wasn't quite comfortable having this kind of conversation with my girlfriend but it's something I also have to get used to.

"You know, you're cute when you stutter." I winced slightly at the word cute. I never liked being called cute. It made me look like some mushy gushy guy.

"I am NOT cute." I retorted but she just giggled then pushed herself on top of me holding her weight with her hands and started kissing me softly. I, then, turned her over so I was the one on top of her, not even once breaking our lip contact.

The kiss grew more intense and after gathering the guts, I slipped my tongue inside her mouth exploring the region with interest. Her nails clawed the back of my neck and was pulling me closer to her. Our legs were tangled together and my hands was rubbing her arms thoroughly.

The kiss was extremely hot right now. Both figuratively and literally. I took off my jacket leaving me with my dark blue shirt. Soon, Dawn took off her coat as well leaving her with her pink tank top. I pulled back from our intense kiss and stared adoringly in her sapphire blue eyes.

We continued kissing or more like making out, just making out and not having sex, until we were tired and just lied down on bed in each others arms and continued chit-chatting about whatever random things we could think of.

What started out to be such an emotional day, probably, for her became very enjoyable, even for me. I knew I loved this girl and that nothing could ever make me stop from loving her. I was sure that this girl would be mine forever.

**-xoOox-**

**So what do you guys think of this chapter?**

**Please review.**

**Next chapter's going to be about Christmas and New Year so stay tuned. I probably won't be updating soon due to my schoolwork but I will do my best to update you.**

**Thanks!**


	13. New Beginnings

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

December 24, 2010. 8:00pm. That's the current time today. Just four more hours till Christmas Eve! Like I said before, I'm both excited and not excited. I'm still not sure what to expect from my mom and step-dad so I guess I'll just ride on with whatever they have planned today. Misty is currently in Cerulean city today, enjoying, well, the snow and May's celebrating Christmas over at Petalburg city. Ash and Gary both went back to Pallet town to celebrate Christmas with their relatives like Sir Samuel, owner of some famous boarding school in Kanto. Zoey is in Snowpoint city right now while Kenny is on a cruise around the Orange Islands. Everybody's celebrating Christmas happily while I'm here in Veilstone wondering what is in for me.

Paul. Another thought that came to my mind. I wonder how he's going to celebrate Christmas. His parents have been divorced for over six years. His brother, Reggie, is preparing to propose to Maylene right now and I'm pretty sure Paul isn't too pleased with the idea of having an emotional Christmas inside his house. Their dad came home about a week ago to spend the holidays with his sons. Speaking of Mr. Shinji, he's a very nice guy who also had purple hair just like his sons. Reggie probably got his nice character from his dad. Now I'm starting to wonder, was Paul and Reggie's mom very mean to them that she had something to do with Paul's dark side?

Years ago, rumours were circulating about ex-Mrs. Shinji. They were saying that she was a drug addict and would usually drink at night and those things that you expect boys to do. Paul told me before that his mother used to be a rebel back when she was younger and is probably still a rebel. I wonder what made Mr. Shinji marry ex-Mrs. Shinji in the first place. She's cruel, inconsiderate and very insensitive of her sons. Thank God both Paul and Reggie weren't descendants of such foul attitude.

I wonder how Paul's doing today. He really loves Christmas and I'm a witness to that. One Christmas time, he actually kept poking me and saying Merry Christmas. PAUL! POKING ME! That's something you rarely see. Anyway, I'm wrapping presents here in the living room while mom and Vince are watching television upstairs waiting for Christmas eve.

I finished wrapping the gifts for my relatives and for some of my friends. I bought May and Misty matching silky coats. Red for May and blue for Misty. I got Ash and Gary blue and black wristwatches. I got Kenny a pair of Vans while I got Zoey a bottle of Victoria's secret perfume. And for Paul, I got him a jacket I designed and made myself. I consider it as one of my best works. It was black with gold hemlines. I had his name in the same color as his jacket but it was embossed so it would be seen clearly. It's a simple jacket but I put all my effort and time making it.

I finished wrapping the gifts for my friends and sat down on the couch waiting for something interesting to happen as I always do. I stared at the bright household. Lights were everywhere and so were the decorations. The Christmas tree was beside our black baby grand piano. The piano. It was one of my favourite instruments. When I was five, my dad taught me how to play it and since then I continued playing songs on the piano. I stopped playing the piano after dad died. I just can't bear playing an instrument that brought back so many memories. It made me cry whenever I occasionally play the piano.

I decided that it's Christmas and that I should at least enjoy myself and relive those past years. I walked over to the piano, sat down and opened it. I stared at it for quite a while and come to think of it, I don't actually remember some of the songs I used to play.

Actually, it's thanks to this piano that I had met the one person I love, Paul. It was one Sunday morning and I was playing the piano. This happened when we were 7. I was playing the piano peacefully. It was just a simple song but back then it was the most complicated song I ever knew. I guess I played very loud, enough for him to hear from the outside. The piano was near our entrance door and the windows were open because it was extremely hot. He knocked on the door...

_-flashback-_

"_hi." A purple haired boy said as I opened the door. He waved at me and smiled._

"_Do I know you?" I asked him._

"_No you don't." He said while I just looked at him in a confused manner._

"_What are you doing here?" I asked him quite confused._

"_I heard music from outside." He simply said, still smiling. "Were you the one playing the music?" He asked stupidly._

"_If by music, you mean the piano then yes!" I said._

"_Cool! I play the piano too although I'm not as good as you are." He said quietly._

"_Really? I bet you're good! What's your name?" I asked him._

"_My name is Paul Shinji. I lived two houses away from you." He replied._

"_That's awesome! That means we're neighbours!" I said and then continued, "My name is Dawn Berlitz. Nice to meet you!" I shaked his hand and then a new friendship was formed._

_-end of flashback-_

That was when Paul was still the happy-go-lucky child he was. I can't believe it either. The Paul Shinji I know now isn't this talkative. Anyway, I don't really mind his change of personality, I still love him no matter what he is. In fact, he's really sweet and could be childish when we're alone. I started playing and singing a song that would best describe my relationship with him. **(A/N: I don't usually make people sing in my fanfics but I think it would be sweet. Anyway, the song's called Smile by Uncle Kracker. Let's pretend that Dawn played a girl version of this. Just read through the lyrics so you would understand how I think Dawn would probably think of Paul.)**

_You´re better than the best__  
><em>_I'm lucky just to linger in your light__  
><em>_Cooler than the flip side of my pillow that´s right__  
><em>_Completely unaware__  
><em>_Nothing can compare to where you send me__  
><em>_Lets me know that it´s ok__  
><em>_Yeah it´s ok__  
><em>_And the moments when my good times start to fade___

_You make me smile like the sun__  
><em>_Fall out of bed__  
><em>_Sing like a bird__  
><em>_Dizzy in my head__  
><em>_Spin like a record__  
><em>_Crazy on a Sunday night___

_You make me dance like a fool__  
><em>_Forget how to breathe__  
><em>_Shine like gold__  
><em>_Buzz like a bee__  
><em>_Just the thought of you can drive me wild__  
><em>_Oh, you make me smile___

_Even when you´re gone__  
><em>_Somehow you come along__  
><em>_Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that__  
><em>_You steal away the rain and just like that___

_You make me smile like the sun__  
><em>_Fall out of bed__  
><em>_Sing like a bird__  
><em>_Dizzy in my head__  
><em>_Spin like a record__  
><em>_Crazy on a Sunday night___

_You make me dance like a fool__  
><em>_Forget how to breathe__  
><em>_Shine like gold__  
><em>_buzz like a bee__  
><em>_Just the thought of you can drive me wild__  
><em>_Oh, you make me smile___

_Don´t know how I lived without you__  
><em>_'Cuz every time that I get around you__  
><em>_I see the best of me inside your eyes__  
><em>_You make me smile__  
><em>_You make me dance like a fool__  
><em>_Forget how to breathe__  
><em>_Shine like gold__  
><em>_Buzz like a bee__  
><em>_Just the thought of you can drive me wild___

_You make me smile like the sun__  
><em>_Fall out of bed__  
><em>_Sing like bird__  
><em>_Dizzy in my head__  
><em>_Spin like a record__  
><em>_Crazy on a Sunday night___

_You make me dance like a fool__  
><em>_Forget how to breathe__  
><em>_Shine like gold__  
><em>_Buzz like a bee__  
><em>_Just the thought of you can drive me wild__  
><em>_Oh, you make me smile__  
><em>_Oh, you make me smile__  
><em>_Oh, you make me smile_

I smiled by instinct as soon as I finished singing and playing the song. Paul does make me smile. He made me smile. He always makes me smile.

"Paul" I said his name through a smile. I guess I've been busy wrapping presents and playing the piano that I didn't realize that it was thirty minutes till Christmas eve. Mom and Vince are still probably asleep upstairs. Lazy goons.

I decided that they would probably wake up the next mornings since all they've been doing today was shopping and buying food and that they're probably tired. I headed outside and brought Paul's gift with me in case I decide to give him his present.

I strolled along the sidewalk looking at all the houses in awe. The city was bright and beautiful. Colorful lights everywhere and the snowflakes falling on the ground just added to the beauty of my surroundings. All the lights in the houses were open. Christmas songs were playing everywhere. Many families right now are probably celebrating Christmas parties. The thought suddenly saddened me. Everyone's celebrating a very very happy Christmas while I'm here on the sidewalk walking alone.

I shrugged the thought away. I should be happy. It's Christmas! I decided to go to my special someone's house. As I reached his house, I knocked twice and the door opened to reveal Reggie.

"Hi Dawn! What brings you here?" He asked politely as he gestured for me to come in.

"My parents are asleep right now. I don't think they're gonna wake up anytime soon though." I said, "Is your dad here?"

Reggie shook his head. "He's out right now attending my uncle's Christmas party in the next town. He'll be back in the morning though. Well, since you're alone right now, why don't you spend Christmas eve here? 15 more minutes till December 25!" He said excitedly.

"Thank you" I nodded and sat down on their couch. "Where's Paul?"

"He's asleep. He's been fixing the house the whole day, he's probably tired. He's upstairs in his room. Want me to wake him up?" He asked.

"That wouldn't be necessary. I'll do it myself." I said with a smile and took off to his bedroom. I knocked a few times but he didn't answer. He must be really tired or he's probably just to lazy to even open the door. I tried to turn the knob and to my relief, it was open.

I came in and saw his peaceful sleeping form sleeping, no kidding. He looked so peaceful when he's asleep. He actually looked like a child. It seems like he's having a good dream. I wonder what it's all about. I realized that staring time was over and I walked over to him and sat beside him. I was going to wake him up when his arm went around me and pulled me closer to him as if I was a pillow. I was now lying close beside him in his arms being carefully pulled closer to him. I smiled at his gestures. There's only one way to escape him! I leaned up at him and kissed him on the lips for as long as I can hold my breath. He smiled and his arms loosened so I took the chance. I wanted to have some fun so I walked back a little and jumped over him startling him.

"WHAT THE HELL?" He yelled with his eyes still closed.

"Sorry. I was afraid you'd be sleeping throughout Christmas eve." I said innocently. He finally opened his eyes and saw me. As soon as he did, his face softened its features and smiled at me.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you celebrating Christmas with your family?" He asked me.

"Mom and Vince are sleeping in their room. Plus I got bored so here I am." I said as I pointed to his bedroom floor.

"Well, thank you for waking me up anyway. It's 11:55. I wouldn't miss Christmas eve for anything in the world." He said as he got up from his bed. He fixed his hair with his bare hands and went downstairs to which I followed.

"So...are you going to Misty's New Years Eve party when she gets back here next week?" I asked him. He simply nodded and took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"So am I." I told him. I sat down next to him. I was so close to him that I was nearly sitting on his lap but something got my attention. Something was poking from his jacket's pocket.

"What inside your pocket?" I asked him. He smiled and took it out. It was a small, blue velvet box. It looked expensive that's for sure. Their clock suddenly chimed in signalling that it was already 12:00 midnight which means it's Christmas. I heard shouts from outside and cheers.

"It's for you." He said as he took my hand and placed the velvet box on my palm. "Merry Christmas, Troublesome." He softly whispered as I engulfed him in a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Prunehead. Here's your present by the way." I said as I gave him a big square box. He opened it and saw the black and gold jacket I made him.

"Do you l-like it?" I asked nervously.

"No."

"Oh." I said feeling my heart shatter in pieces.

"I love it, Dawn. I really do. You made it?" He asked as he pulled me ever so closer to him. I nodded and whispered in his ear, "I made it. I made it for you and only for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. Aren't you gonna open my present?" He asked.

"Oh! Right!" I said as I took out the blue velvet box and opened it carefully. Inside was a golden necklace. It must have caused him a fortune to buy this! I took it out and gasped. In the middle was a small locket, I opened it and saw a picture of me and him and beside it says, "I love you, forever and always." Tears threatened to fall out from my eyes but I didn't mind one bit. I loved the gift and I loved the giver.

I hugged Paul tightly and sobbed tears of joy as I whispered as small thank you to him. "I'll wear this every single day." I told him through my tears. He pulled away from the hug and stood up taking me with him. He led me to their patio where we could see the beautiful Christmas lights and falling snow everywhere.

"I love you." He simply said.

"I love you, too." I said and leaned up to him, standing on my tiptoes. He leaned down and kissed me with all his passion. I instinctively brought my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer to him by the waist. Yup! I love this guy right here in my arms. He's mine and only mine.

After what seemed like an eternity, we broke apart gasping raggedly for air. He leaned his forehead onto mine and said, "This is by far the best Christmas in my life. I wish all my Christmas-es were with you."

I giggled lightly and said, "You have to wait till we're in the right age to get married then we'll have more of this." I leaned up again stealing another kiss. I'm a little thief.

He smiled through the whole kiss and I pulled away after sometime. "You should try that jacket on." I suggested and he nodded. He took the jacket from the couch and put it on. He looked hot in it. Trust my fashion skills to make him something that would look totally awesome on him.

"Best jacket in the world" He said. Reggie then walked in the living room carrying lots of boxes.

"I see you guys are having the time of your life." Reggie said slyly to Paul's annoyance.

"Out." Paul growled while Reggie just laughed and went upstairs to his room.

I spent the rest of the night, or more like early morning, over at Paul's place and headed home to have some sleep.

**-xoOox-**

Current time: December 31, 2010. 11:00pm.  
>Current location: Misty's house<p>

I went inside Misty's place wearing my brown stilettos and my pink long-sleeved dress than reached an inch above my knees and of course, the golden necklace I got from Paul.

"Dawn!"

"Misty!" I greeted and hugged my bestfriend. "How are you? I haven't seen you for almost three weeks this vacation!"

"Doing fine! I had the best Christmas ever! How about you?" She asked as she kicked the door closed behind her.

"I'm fine too and like you, I had the best Christmas ever as well!" I said pointing to my golden necklace.

"Where did you get that? It's so pretty!" She said.

"I got it from Paul as a Christmas gift while I gave him a Dawn-made jacket." I said proudly.

"Aww that's so sweet!" She squealed.

"DAWN!" I heard the familiar squeal of the familiar brunette. She engulfed me in a big bear hug almost crushing me.

"May, I miss you too. No offense but would you mind letting go?" I told her while she did as asked. I gasped for air and once I composed myself I hugged my bestfriends.

"-and she was drinking from the fountain itself. I mean who does that?" I heard Ash's familiar voice as he, Gary and Paul stepped towards the kitchen, probably to get more food.

"Hi guys!" I greeted them and went over to Paul.

"Hey Dawn! We missed you!" Gary said as he gave me a hug followed by Ash.

"Owww!" Ash said as my locket pierced through his skin. "What was that?" He said, rubbing his sore chest.

"That must have been my necklace, sorry." I apologized.

"I see you're wearing the necklace I gave you for Christmas." Paul said as he snaked his right arm around my waist.

"Why wouldn't I?" I told him.

"Okay guys, enough chitchat. Let's go to the backyard." Misty said as she and May raced through the back door while we followed them. We entered her backyard. It was full of dazzling lights and Christmas decors as well. Music was blasting everywhere and people were chatting with one another.

Misty went over to the microphone and said, "We thirty more minutes til midnight. I'm really thankful that you guys are here right now celebrating a new beginning with us. Let's party!" She shouted as she held her glass up high, followed by the others who gave toasts to each other.

"_My momma told me when I was young, we're all born superstars  
>She pulled my hair and put my lipstick on in a glass of her bordoire"<em>

"That's like one of my favourite songs! Come on guys let's dance!" May shouted through the loud blaring music. We joined her and the others on the dance floor while our boyfriends were sat drinking cocktail.

"_I'm beautiful in my way coz God makes no mistakes  
>I'm on the right track baby I was born this way<br>Don't hide yourself in regret, just love yourself and you're set  
>I'm on the right track baby I was born this way"<em>

To be honest, this is one of those songs where I can relate to. I don't care what people tell me. I don't care if some people bring me down. I was born the way I was and nothing can change that. No doubt that this is one of my favourite songs. May, Misty and I danced till the song was over. Obviously, we were enjoying ourselves. Of course we were, Misty throws awesome parties during occasions like this.

"_You made me insecure, told me I wasn't good enough  
>But who are you to judge when you're diamond in a rut<br>I'm sure you got some things you'd like to change about yourself  
>But when it comes to me I wouldn't wanna be anybody else<br>  
>I'm no beauty queen, I'm just beautiful me"<em>

This is another one of those songs I like. Who Says is one of the songs I actually love to listen to. It explains my whole life. I had to go through people's judgements and insecurities but no matter what they think of me, I'm beautiful the way I am. Misty sure chooses the best songs in her parties, no doubt about that.

"_Who says, who says you're not perfect  
>Who says you're not worth it<br>Who says you're the only one that's heard it  
>Trust me, that's the price of beauty<br>Who says you're not pretty  
>Who says you're not beautiful<br>Who says"_

We danced again throughout the songs and all the other songs and sure enough after about 25 minutes of dancing, we got tired and rested for a while on the chairs near Paul and the others.

"You enjoying?" Misty asked me.

"Yeah. You throw the best parties, Misty!" I exclaimed.

"Thanks!" She said. Five minutes more till New Years Eve! Suddenly, a slow song played and soon enough couples were dancing.

"Care to dance with me?" Paul asked as he stood over me.

"I would love to." I said as I took his left hand and he led me to the dance floor.

"_Take time to realize that you're worth this crashing down on in  
>Take time to realize that I am on your side didn't I, didn't I tell you?<br>But I can't spell it out for you no it's never gonna be that simple  
>Though I can't spell it out for you<br>If you just realized what I just realized then we'd be perfect for each other  
>And we'll never find another<br>Just realize what I just realized we'd never have to wonder if we missed out on each other now"_

We slow danced with my arms around Paul's neck and his arms around my small waist pulling me closer to him. I rested my head on his chest while his head was rested on my hair. We danced together through the whole song and before we know it, everyone was already chanting.

12! I looked up at Paul.

11! He smiled at me.

10! I smiled back at him.

9! May and Ash stopped dancing and stared at each other lovingly.

8! Misty and Gary did the same as May and Ash.

7! I heard people cheering.

6! The fireworks were getting ready.

5! May kissed Ash.

4! Misty kissed Gary.

3!

2! Paul tilted my chin up.

1! He leaned down and kissed me passionately. I pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. It was the perfect moment. Everybody were cheering in joy for the starts of the new year and the new beginning. The fireworks were towering colourfully over us and the music softened a little. But what made my night was the guy I was holding and kissing passionately. I knew I'd be his. Forever and Always.

He pulled away to breathe. As soon as he recomposed himself, he gave me one of those rare beautiful smiles of his and hugged me tight.

This year is going to be a blast and so are the years to come as long as I'm with him.

Goodnight!

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Did you guys like it? I hope it's not too cheesy or corny or whatever. Thank you for the nice reviews. I really REALLY appreciate it. Please review and no flames. I will try to make the next chapter good. I might update you guys next week since I have to go back to school. **

**I'll tell you a little bit about the next chapter. I'm thinking that it's going to be sort of connected to the climax of the story. Don't worry, this isn't ending soon. I hope. Keep reading!**


	14. Revealed

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**The last part of this is probably an intro to the climax of the story.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**Warning: Paul might be a bit OOC here. And I'll be including a little Advancedshipping here if you don't mind.**

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

February 14, 2011. You know what that is, right? Valentine's day! But to be honest with you guys, why do you need to celebrate Valentine's day? The day of romance and love? If you really love a person, there shouldn't be a specific date for you to show how much you love her, right? Anyway, I wonder what Paul has in mind for today. Actually, I don't even know how Paul's mind works. One minute he's thinking of something really important and useful and creative and then the next he'd be like, 'I don't care'. Boys.

Last time I celebrated Valentine's day was with Mom and Vince when they were still engaged. You seriously do NOT want to go through that. I was like, 'Why am I here?' Until now, I still don't know why they even brought me out to dinner when they're supposed to be alone because it's '_The day of Love_'. Well, at least, that's what my mom calls it.

**DING DONG!  
>DING DONG!<br>DING DONG!  
>DING DONG!<strong>

May. How do I know? She loves breaking other people's doorbells. Thank God my parents aren't here or they would ground me till next year for the annoying doorbell sounds! I rushed downstairs to the door and opened it.

"Hi Dawn!" squealed May's high-pitched voice. I was right.

"Hello May! What a...surprise to see you here..." I said unsurely. Today's Valentine's day, shouldn't she be with Ash right now?

"What brings you here?" I asked her not trying to be mean and all.

"I need tips!" She said as she slumped down on the couch while I shut the door.

"Well, Ash is the noisy and fun-loving guy so he'll probably take you to some game center or some place with loud music and lots of people. Like the carnival or something." I explained to her.

"How did you know what I was going to ask?" she asked in disbelief.

"May, we're friends. I know what goes on in your life." I told her as I took a sip of the tea I made a while back.

"Right. So what are you doing for today?" May asked me. Exactly what I've been asking myself for the past 30 minutes or hour or so.

"To be honest with you, I really have no idea what Paul has in mind for today." I said to her sheepishly.

"Come to think of it, you never know what goes on in that guy's mind! One minute he's thinking about something very important and then the next he'll be like 'I don't care'" She said in a very very VERY bad impression of Paul. See? Even May thinks the same about Paul's mind!

"Anyway, I'm just happy that he'll be with me for the day. That's for sure." I smiled at the thought of us being inseparable.

"You're always together, Dawn. Like, you're together almost everyday. If you're not together, it's either you text or call each other. You guys are obsessed about each other." She said knowingly.

"We are not obsessed. We just want to be together, that's what!" I said defensively.

"Don't worry, Dawn. Four years or five years from now, you'll get married. No doubt about that." May said slyly with a devious smirk.

"I know."

"Oh well, thanks for your time but I better go now. Ash told me to meet him in the ice cream shop down the block. See you tomorrow, Dawn!" She said and hugged me before skipping, literally skipping, out of my house.

**-xoOox-**

**PAUL'S POV**

I'm stupid.

Extremely stupid.

Really really stupid.

This is the first valentine's day I'll be celebrating with Dawn as my girlfriend but I have no idea how to even do this. First of all, I don't even have anything planned for the day. Not even a restaurant of our choice. Not even a trip to the park or anything at all. Not even any gift to give her.

But then again, I thought about it. I guess it doesn't matter what I give her. I know this is cheesy but they say that if you love a person, you shouldn't choose a day to make that person feel special.

"You got a date with your 'girl' today, Paul? I honestly never thought that you'd actually get a girlfriend because you turn twenty. It's just like a miracle." Reggie said wiping a fake tear as he came to the living room. Pathetic.

"What do you care?" I snapped. I hate it when Reggie intrudes on my so-called "lovelife". Once in a while, I do show my love for someone. But in Dawn's case, once in a while is 24/7. Enough chitchat, I hate sounding like some cheesy guy you met over at the book shop.

"Hey hey hey. Don't snap. It's not everyday that you're little brother falls in love." And that was a lie. I could tell because as soon as Reggie finished his sentence, he choked out laughing.

"What are you lauhing at?" I growled at him.

"You. In love. Everyday. It's too much! I can't believe Dawn managed to make you human yet alone, I can't believe she was able to get you to show any emotion or some of those mushy-gushy lovers stuff." He said past his laughter.

"Like you and Maylene don't make out on the couch whenever you guys are here." I glared at him as I said it.

"But on you it's different. It's weird." He said as he tried to, unsuccessfully, stop himself from laughing.

"Whatever. Don't even think about bringing that topic up to anyone at anytime anywhere until I say so. Got it?" I didn't let him respond as I stormed up to my room preparing to fetch Dawn.

I wore a dark blue shirt and the jacket Dawn gave me for Christmas matched with a pair of dark blue jeans and my Nike dunks. I sprayed my cologne all over me which I think was really awkward.

I slipped my wallet and phone inside my pockets and got to my car.

After a few minutes of driving, I reached Dawn's place. I guess it took me long, although I live two houses away, speed limits suck, that she looked as if she's been waiting for me in front of her gate for a long time.

"Paul!" She said as she gave me a peck on the lips.

"Troublesome." I muttered knowing that it would annoy her. She looks cute when she's annoyed.

"Rudeness. So where are we going today?" Oh crap. I forgot to ask anybody where to go today.

"Umm..you know...uh...do you really have to know?" I stuttered. Oh God I'm stuttering. This is worse than I thought. ME. PAUL. STUTTERING. NOT A GOOD COMBINATION THAT'S WHAT IT IS.

"You don't have anything planned for today, do you?" She asked looking gloomy. So gloomy that I felt an extremely painful pang of guilt.

"Uh...no. I'm sorry." I said quietly. After I spoke, there was silence. But then...

Dawn roared in laughter. So much laughter that I thought she was going insane.

"You're freaking out over this, Dawn. You should seriously calm down." I said not really knowing what else to say to calm her down.

"Awww...Paul. You actually fell for that?" she questioned slyly.

"You mean you were acting?"

"Obviously." She said stifling a laugh.

"Right." I said quite annoyed.

"You don't have to take me somewhere special or do something special for me on Valentine's day, Paul." She said as she placed her hand on top of mine then continued, "Just the fact that I'm with you is enough to make me happy."

I smiled softly at her words. "...Thanks" I whispered quietly and looked back on the road.

**-xoOox-**

**MAY'S POV**

What's taking Ketchum so long? He said that he'd be here by 10. It's 10:30 and he's still not here. I wonder what's taking him so long? It's not like he showers long or anything. He doesn't do chores at home so he doesn't have any other reason to be late.

"Told you, sis. Ash is going to be late. I so win that bet!" My younger brother, Max, boasted in front of me.

"Yes, thank you for stating that Ash is late, Mr. Obvious. For your information, we never had a bet about when Ash is coming to pick me up." I annoyingly told him.

"Still doesn't change the fact that I did know that Ash was going to be late." Max said smirking deviously. Kids.

"Whatever, Max. Don't you have some video game levels to finish or a chapter to read or books to study?" Yes, Max is a nerd. No doubt about that.

"WHAT? YOU THINK I'M A NERD?" He yelled furiously at me.

"I don't think. I know." I told him proudly.

"Right because that's how you know everything. You never think." Max said coldly.

"Would you just go up to your room or do I have to emotionally scar you fo-" **DING DONG!**

"Oooh Ash is here! 'bout damn time!" I yelled as I ran towards the entrance and opened it revealing a grinning Ash who was wearing a blue jacket over a white shirt and a pair of knee-high shorts and a pair of Adidas.

"YOU'RE LATE FOR 30 MINUTES!" I shouted at him but to be honest, I really don't mind him being late.

"Sorry. I had to do an errand for mom. You have no idea how hard it is to get past Aunt Irish." He whined. Aunt Irish, for those of you who don't know, is Ash's mother's sister. She's the nosy woman who lives down the block.

"That's alright. Actually, I was just trying to teach Max a lesson here before you came, isn't that right brother?" I asked him mischievously. He didn't answer.

"Well, you-" I cut him off as I kissed him directly on his mouth surprising him and Max, for the matter. After a while, I felt him kiss back. I opened one eye to check on a now gaping Max who seemed as if he was about to puke. A thought came to me to annoy my brother and I licked Ash's lower lip so he parted it and dominated my mouth with his tongue.

THIS IS DEFINITELY THE BEST WAY TO ANNOY YOUR NOSY LITTLE BROTHER WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM HIS SISTER'S LOVE LIFE. I heard footsteps going up and I checked again with my one eye, still lip-locking with Ash, only to find that Max has gone up to his room. I laughed deviously in my mind as I pulled away.

"What was that about? You know, making out in front of you brother? Not that I didn't like kissing you because I would definitely do it again if I had the chance to." Ash said.

"I'm emotionally scarring him for life because he insulted me about you. Nothing important. Now where were we?" I asked as Ash just smirked and pulled me closer. He, then brought me into a kiss but pulled away shortly then whispered in my ear,

"Happy Valentines Day" His voice was hoarse causing shivers to go down my whole body.

"Happy Valentines Day to you too." I said as I kissed him once more.

**-xoOox-**

**NORMAL POV**

Paul took Dawn to the salad restaurant where they had their meal that day after Vince attacked Dawn. It was still the same after eight months of not going there.

"I see nothing's changed in here." Dawn said as she glanced at the place.

"Hi Ma'am and Sir, may I take your order?" The waitress asked as she held up a paper and pen ready to write down whatever we want.

"I'll take the Fruit Salad and a glass of Melon shake." Dawn said happily.

"Fruit Salad and coke." Paul simply said. The waitress nodded and went back to the staff area.

"So what made you take us here?" Dawn asked curiously. Paul just shrugged not really knowing what made him take her there.

"Instinct?" Paul said questioningly.

"Right." Dawn replied.

After a few minutes of waiting and chitchatting, their orders came and they started gulping down the food.

"This plwash nwevor fwailsh tu amwush me." Dawn said through her full mouth. Paul lightly chuckled at his girlfriend's antics.

"Princesses don't talk with their mouths full." He said as he grabbed a napkin and dabbed Dawn's ketchup-stained cheek. Dawn swallowed her food before talking again.

"I'm your princess and you're my knight in shining armor. How does that sound?" Dawn smirked at him while he just stared at her as if he hasn't heard any of her corny lines.

"You're corny, you know that?" He said taking advantage of her words from before.

"Of course, I am and that's why you love me so much." Dawn smirked once more as she took advantage of Paul's words from before as well.

"Stop copying me." Paul complained obviously annoyed that Dawn was copying his signature smirk.

"Nope. You brought it upon yourself." Dawn teased him.

"Troublesome..." He trailed off as he finished his meal. As soon as they finished eating and paid for their meals, they soon went over to the park under a tree which was beside the lake that Dawn went before Christmas.

"You know, this date might not be fancy but I like it...wait, no. I love it. Thanks for the day Paul." Dawn said she rested on Paul's lap who sat down leaning on the tree trunk.

"I have my moves." Paul said arrogantly.

"There you go again!" Dawn playfully complained while softly punching Paul's chest.

"Oh come on. I know you love it." Paul said, once again, arrogantly.

"Yeah..." Dawn said as she stared at his eyes then continued, "I love you.." Paul smiled at her and leaned down closing the gap between them.

Dawn happily responded to Paul's act of affection and started to kiss back throwing her arms around his neck while his snaked around her waist. Paul's tongue brushed on her lower lip as she parted her lips slightly giving him a chance to enter.

Their tongues wrestled for dominance but Paul completely took over. After a while of kissing or more like making out, they just sat there looking up at the sky.

"You know, I really can't believe that all this started with one History Project." Paul stated quietly as his hair fell over his face tickling Dawn's cheek in the process.

"What are you talking about? This all started when you first heard me playing the piano when we were 7 and then we became inseparable best friends until Junior year." Dawn explained, her voice getting lower as she said, 'until Junior year'.

"I'm sorry." Was all Paul said earning him a confused glance from Dawn.

"Sorry? For what?" Dawn asked.

"You know, I completely avoided and ignored you the whole Junior year. I didn't even go to the prom with you. I'm still feeling guilty." Paul said lowly.

"Hey, friends have their ups and downs but they're still friends. If it wasn't for your avoiding me, we wouldn't be dating right now." Dawn reassured him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah...but still, it wasn't right for me to neglect you." Paul said as he rubbed his thumb on her hand.

"Past is past Paul. I already forgave you for that, no need to worry. Now stop feeling guilty, you're making me feel...bad too." Dawn said while Paul just nodded.

"I love you so much." He muttered quietly but enough for Dawn to hear.

"I love you more." She responded.

"Yeah right." He snickered as Dawn just giggled.

"Why can't you be this romantic and nice around everyone?" she asked curiously.

"Dawn, I can be nice around everyone...as long as they don't do anything to annoy or piss me off." Paul stated as Dawn just considered his answer and continued resting against his chest.

Silence...

"I've been thinking about our future, Paul. Like college. Um...where are you going for college?" Dawn asked worriedly. She didn't want to be separated from Paul for a long time.

"I took a test to Jubilife College and Canalave State University. I still don't know where I passed though." He said and looked at her as if asking why she asked about college all of a sudden.

"I'm going to Canalave State University for college. I just hope you passed the exam there." Dawn stated.

"I hope so too. I don't want to be separated from you." He whispered quietly on her hair and rubbed her palms in an attempt to reassure her that he's not going anywhere.

"College is still a few months from now, we should just enjoy this moment for now." Paul nodded in agreement and they just sat there in each other's arms, enjoying their view.

**-xoOox-**

**Meanwhile back in the Berlitz residence...**

_**DING DONG!  
>DING DONG!<br>DING DONG!**_

The bell rang thrice consecutively as Johanna got up from the couch lazily and opened it only to reveal an unknown pink-haired lady who seemed the same age as Dawn holding a small envelope in her hands.

"May I help you?" Johanna asked the lady.

"Mrs. Berlitz, I'm Ursula Johnson, Dawn's friend from school." Ursula introduced herself.

"Oh well hello there, um, Dawn's not here right now, would you mind if you come back some other time?" Johanna asked.

"Actually Mrs. Berlitz, I went here to talk to you about...your daughter. It's very important and I suggest that you listen carefully if it's not too much to ask." Ursula said innocently but deep inside her mind, she was smirking deviously.

"Well come in." Johanna said as she opened the door further letting Ursula sit down on the couch. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Umm...I just wanted to ask you if Dawn's doing fine..you know with her life, her boyfriend all. Just wan-" But she got cut off as Johanna said rather loudly, "Dawn has a boyfriend?" That hit the gears on Ursula's brain as she knew that her plan was working.

"You mean, she hasn't told you about her boyfriend?" Ursula said pretending to be shocked.

"SHE HASN'T!" Johanna fumed angrily, "WHO IS SHE DATING AND WHY HASN'T SHE TOLD ME?" She shouted so angrily that even Ursula got a bit scared and nervous.

"S-she's d-dating Paul. Paul Shinji." Ursula said followed by a gulp.

"MY DAUGHTER IS DATING A SHINJI?" That obviously crossed the line for Johanna for who knows what reason.

"Um..y-yeah..." Ursula said officially scared as she handed out some pictures of Paul and Dawn kissing, eating together and walking hand-in-hand to Mrs. Berlitz.

"When my daughter gets here, she is in SOOOOO much trouble!" Johanna burst out furiously while Ursula just shaked in fear.

Johanna's features softened as she faced the now frightened teen and said, "Thanks for telling me, Ursula. You're a really great friend to my daughter. If you don't mind, I would like to be alone now. Make yourself at home if you please."

"No. No need. I have some event to attend to. So yeah, bye!" Ursula said as she walked to the door while Johanna just nodded and stomped angrily upstairs.

"What's wrong honey?" Vince asked, obviously not caring at all.

"It's about Dawn." She said gloomily.

"What about her?" Vince asked, once again not giving a damn about his stepdaughter.

"She's been dating someone behind my back for a long time and she didn't even tell me!" Johanna growled loudly.

"Oh who is it?"

"Paul Shinji. My daughter's dating a son of the guy who was the reason for my previous husband's death!" she said angrily causing Vince to flinch a bit.

"Don't worry, we can teach your daughter a lesson when she comes back. Why don't you relax for now?" He said trying to comfort while Johanna just nodded.

**-xoOox-**

**Oh no! Johanna found out about Paul and Dawn! What's gonna happen to them? Is this gonna affect their relationship badly? Stay tuned. This is far from over!**

**Please review and no flames.**

**Thank you!**


	15. Over

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**-xoOox**

**NORMAL POV**

The day ended with Paul and Dawn buying their favourite ice cream sundaes from their favourite ice cream shop near the Green's Gourmet. As soon as they finished eating, they stayed inside the car for a while not really wanting Valentine's day to end.

"You know, even if you hadn't planned anything today, it still feels special. You're awesome, Paul. No doubt about that." Dawn complimented him as she reached out for his hand to give it a light squeeze.

"I know I am." Paul said, giving her another one of his quirky, arrogant lines. Dawn just giggled and kissed him on the cheek earning him a furious blush.

Paul and Dawn might have been dating for over five months but they still act as if they just fell in love the other day. They act as if they were still madly in love and crazy about each other. Even though they act like the way they do, they're still confident towards each other like they could tell each other everything they want.

"Paul, I really REALLY enjoyed today. I hope I get to spend everyday like this." Dawn happily said while Paul just smirked at her. Yes, smirked.

"You could've just told me that you wanted to marry me you know." Paul said past his smirk.

"Jerk. I know you're planning on marrying me after college anyway." Dawn nudged him playfully as she said this.

"Says the girls who wants five children when she grows up." Paul teased her earning him a playful glare from the giggling blunette.

"Look Paul, I know you want to marry me but you have to wait until we finish college. Remember that!" Dawn teased back causing Paul to grunt in reply.

"Don't worry I will. Then there's the first dance in the reception then the..." He smirked deviously at his girlfriend and continued, "Honeymoon" causing Dawn to blush furiously at the thought of Paul and her...you know what she's thinking.

"You're a pervert, Paul." Dawn cried out still hiding her blush.

"No I'm not. I just happen to know what newly weds do on their honeymoon." Paul stated knowingly.

"Yeah right, you're still a pervert." Dawn whispered, more like purred, on his ear as she leaned in to peck him on the lips, teasing him.

"That's it? I'm not a pervert but I could definitely do better than that." Paul teased. He then leaned towards Dawn and planted his lips firmly on hers. The kiss was soft, gentle and warm. After a few moments, they intensified things up and Paul brushed his tongue inside Dawn's mouth, dancing together with her tongue. He rubbed his hands up and down swiftly on her arms and kissed more passionate.

After a few minutes, they separated, both gasping wildly for air.

"You're still a great kisser." Dawn complimented.

"Hmph. Yeah." Paul replied smiking at his girlfriend. It was getting past eleven when Paul pulled over Dawn's place. They both got out and Paul leaned on his car door while Dawn stood close.

"So...goodnight Paul. I really had a blast today!" Dawn said happily as she made her way to the gate only to be stopped by Paul yanking on her wrist.

"Hm?" Dawn asked.

"No goodnight kiss?" Paul asked pretending to feel hurt.

"Oh come on, we had a make out session in the car a while ago, isn't that enough already?" Dawn teased him as she got closer to where he was standing.

"No it's not" He simply said as he grabbed Dawn by the waist and kissed her once more. Dawn unconsciously moaned through the kiss as she snaked her arms around his neck.

"DAWN!" An angry voice shouted from the entrance door causing both Paul and Dawn to break apart to look at the source of the sound.

"Mom!" Dawn shouted out, terrified. Paul didn't look like it but his eyes showed fear and terror by looking at the angered woman who furiously opened the gate to their house.

"ANY PARTICULAR REASON WHY YOU'RE HOME LATE TONIGHT?" Mrs. Berlitz shouted at her daughter, gripping her wrist quite painfully.

"Mom...um, I could..I could explain.." Dawn rushed in a panicked voice. This wasn't how she expected her Valentine's day to end.

"I know you could. You're dating SHINJI over here and you didn't even tell me!" She fumed angrily as she spat out the name Shinji. Paul had a shocked expression on his face keeping him speechless.

"PAUL! GO HOME BOY! You're father's waiting for you!" Johanna yelled furiously at him as he gulped and saw Dawn's pleading expression. He nodded and rushed to his car and went over to his house.

"GET INSIDE!" Johanna shouted loudly at Dawn.

**-xoOox-**

Paul sighed.

What has he done to anger Dawn's mom so much? He thought glumly.

He sighed heavily as he entered the door to his house. All the lights which we turned off opened all of a sudden. Paul looked around and saw his father standing beside a wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrows furrowed in anger.

Oh great, another one of those old, angry people, Paul thought angrily.

"WHY ARE YOU LATE?" his dad asked him angrily as he stepped away from the darkness and walked closer to Paul until he was less than two feet away from his son.

"I, um..." Paul stuttered nervously, "I..I was o-on a d-date with my girl –gulp- friend." He finished with a painful gulp down his throat. Paul isn't usually one to be scared but when it comes to his father, he was extremely fearful.

"YOU? DATING WHO EXACTLY? WHO IS THIS GIRL?" Mr. Shinji or most commonly known as Cyrus fumed angrily at his son, waking Reggie up from upstairs in the process.

"D-dawn. I'm d-dating Dawn B-berlitz." Paul stammered again nervously bracing himself for his father's angry reaction.

Like his predictions told him, his father did react badly to this. Paul opened his eyes just in time to see his dad swing his fist towards him knocking Paul down. Blood dripped down from the side of his mouth as wiped it and stood up, glaring daggers at his father.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THE FOR?" Paul yelled angrily at his dad while holding his painful lip.

"WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU THAT YOU'VE STARTED DATING A BERLITZ HUH?" Cyrus roared at his son who was still glaring at him. If looks could kill, Cyrus would have been dead by now.

"WHAT'S IT TO YOU IF I'M DATING DAWN? IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Paul growled in distaste at his father then stomped his way up his room.

"You have no idea son..." Cyrus whispered before he turned off the lights and went back to his room. Reggie just stood on the stairs' railing, not able to fully digest the whole scene that happened in front of him.

**-xoOox-**

"Dawn, we need to talk." Johanna said a bit calmer than she did previously but the cold and angry features on her face did not disappear.

"What's there to talk about?" Dawn retorted completely annoyed with her mother disrupting her and Paul's moment.

"You were dating Paul and you didn't even tell me?" Johanna raised her voice higher and louder causing Dawn to flinch from her current position. As much as she wanted to control her anger towards her daughter, she failed.

"I was going to tell you but you never seem to have enough time for me! All you do is sit around, go to work and then hang out with my stepfather. You don't even know anything about me anymore. So why would I bother tell you about my life if you never bother to tell me yours!" Dawn shouted at her mom with her eyes full of tears. Tears of anger.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEVER HAVE TIME FOR YOU? I'M ALWAYS HERE IN THIS FILTHY HOUSE GUARDING OVER YOU AND HERE YOU ARE COMPLAINING THAT I NEVER TALK TO YOU YET ALONE BOTHER TO EVEN TALK ABOUT YOUR LIFE!" Johanna yelled, her voice full of anger. She yelled so loud that Dawn's ears started ringing.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM WITH ME DATING A SHINJI? WHAT, IS THIS SOME KIND OF YOUR MODERN ROMEO AND JULIET WHEREIN MY PARENTS CONTROL WHO I FALL IN LOVE WITH HUH?" Dawn shouted once again at her mother.

"I..I JUST DON'T WANT YOU HANGING OUT WITH THAT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING SON-OF-A-BITCH SHINJI!" Johanna retorted furiously. Her face was red from anger.

That did it for Dawn. "Who are you calling, Son of a bitch? Don't you dare talk about him like that! You don't even know him!"

"Oh but I do know him! If it wasn't for Paul's dad, your father would probably still be alive!" Johanna screamed, tears blurring her vision.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU SAID THAT MY DAD DIED IN AN ACCIDENT DURING WORK! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO ME ABOUT HIM!" Dawn angrily fumed while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Dawn...Cyrus, Paul's father...he was supposed to be on shift that day but NO! He just had to get drunk the night before so your father had to take his shift when the building collapsed!" Johanna said, tears pouring down her cheeks now.

"Mom, it was an accident! None of them wanted it to happen! None of them even _knew_ it would happen! Why are you blaming them?" Dawn furiously said, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks once again.

"It's complicated, Dawn, you wouldn't understand!" Johanna screamed at her.

"Yeah right! So is 'it's complicated' also the reason why you don't approve of my relationship with Paul?" Dawn said angrily.

"I don't want you to have anything to do with the Shinjis, you understand that! I don't feel comfortable with the idea of you being with Paul!" Johanna said.

"Mom, you've only met Paul today! We've been friends for years...you never even bothered to meet any of my friends because you were too busy with work." Dawn said quietly.

"I WAS NOT!"

"Oh yeah? So you should probably know now that it's your filthy second husband's doing that I've been bullied and stomped on and bossed around whenever you're not here huh?" Dawn said loudly as she recalled the times when Vince bullied her.

"Vince did n-"

"Let me finish, mom! Do you even have any idea what I've been going through ever since you married that bastard you call my stepdad? Did you even care about how I felt with you dating then marrying another guy after dad died? It's like you just pushed him aside then went on for the rebound! You barely spend time with me anymore, heck you don't even know anything that I like! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT IS TO FEEL SO ALONE IN THE FAMILY SO YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO! I'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH FOR THE PAST YEAR OR TWO! I'VE BEEN ALONE, MOM! I FELT LIKE I HAD NO FAMILY. THE CLOSEST I GOT TO HAVING A FAMILY WAS WHEN I WAS WITH MY FRIENDS AND NOT IN THIS FILTHY RATHOLE! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME ANYMORE MOM. You don't..." Dawn was now crying her eyes out as she stomped furiously to her room.

Before shutting the door completely in her room, she yelled at her mom, "Mom, I hope you change." And with that, she slammed the door leaving the dumbstruck mother crying in the living room, surprised with the things her only daughter said to her.

**-xoOox-**

The next morning wasn't better for Paul. He wasn't able to get much sleep at night. Heck, he didn't even want to see his father for the matter. As soon as he got up from bed, he went downstairs only to find his dad reading the day's paper on the dining table.

He purposely ignored him and ate his meal without a word leaving Reggie to feel very awkward with the current situation. They stayed in silence until Cyrus can't take it anymore and yelled at his son.

"I see you're giving me the silent treatment, son!" He angrily said.

"Shut up" Paul mumbled quietly as Reggie knew it wasn't the right time to be in the dining table so he went back up to his room.

"Still mad about last night's argument?" Cyrus asked while Paul shot him a cold glare.

"What's it to you?" Paul asked angrily.

"Look Paul, if you think I'm being selfish with you then it's your problem. I only want what's good for you. And I don't think that involving yourself with the Berlitz's is good for you." Cyrus said which enraged Paul even more.

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HER OR THEM SO I SUGGEST THAT YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING TO YOU!" Paul yelled furiously as he stood up maddening Cyrus even more.

"DON'T YOU DARE CUSS IN FRONT OF ME YOUNG MAN!" Cyrus yelled as well, standing up like his son.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TELL ME WHO I'M SUPPOSED TO BE WITH! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW DAWN AND YET YOU'RE SAYING THAT THEY'RE BAD PEOPLE OR SOMETHING! WHAT DID THEY EVER DO TO YOU?" Paul shouted angrily at his dad although fear was taking over him at the moment.

If there was one thing Paul feared the most, it was his father. Ever since he was a child, he's always been afraid of his father, whether Cyrus was angry or not. For Paul's whole life, he had done nothing but to try and make his father proud at him for once. But now here he is fighting with him.

"You just have to find out everything, do you?" Cyrus complained but continued, "Johanna Berlitz, Dawn's mother, hasn't got off my back ever since her beloved husband died. She blames _me_ for her husband's death. She's been accusing me! She took it so harshly that she sent me to jail for five months just because I 'accidentally' fought her boyfriend before! That Johanna Berlitz drives people insane with her overreacting antics and I don't want you to become a victim of that!"

"Oh come on, dad! Really? You expect me to believe you?" Paul scowled at his dad.

"I'm warning you son. That Dawn's gonna break your heart. I suggest you make the move. I expected better from you!" Cyrus exclaimed.

"YOU EXPECT ME TO BREAK UP WITH HER JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD A FEUD WITH HER MOM? PAST IS PAST, DAD! I LOVE DAWN AND NOT EVEN ANYTHING Y-" but he got cut off as Cyrus roared angrily and loudly at him causing him to back up.

"YOU FUCKING STAY AWAY FROM THAT FAMILY! YOU UNDERSTAND, BOY? WHY DON'T YOU EVER LISTEN TO ME? WHY CAN'T YOU BE LIKE YOUR BROTHER? YOU'RE EXACTLY LIKE YOUR MOM! I DON'T WANT YOU WITH HER AND HER MOM DOESN'T WANT THE SAME! YOU'RE GONNA STAY AWAY FROM HER IF THAT'S THE LAST THING YOU DO!" And with that, Cyrus stomped angrily towards his room.

Paul was shaking in fear which was very very VERY rare of him. He grabbed his phone and called Dawn. After two rings, she picked up.

"_Paul." _ Her voice sounded as if she had been crying.

"_Dawn, we need to talk. Meet me in the park right now." _His voice was cold but with a slight tinge of regret with what he was gonna do.

**-xoOox-**

Dawn got to the park and saw Paul leaning on a tree trunk. His eyes found hers and he immediately noticed that they were red and puffy. He suddenly felt guilty. He was going to do as his father said. He didn't want to but he had to. He was torn between love and family. He was extremely afraid of his dad but he loved him like a son would to his father.

As soon as Dawn found him, she ran over to him and hugged him tenderly and started crying on his chest. Again, Paul felt the pain in his heart. His stomach was doing flipflops. And he constantly asked himself, _'is breaking up with her really worth it to have my father to accept me?' _He hugged her back knowing that this would probably the last time that he would be able to and he wanted it to last.

After a few moments of staying in that position, Paul finally pulled away much to Dawn's dismay.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Dawn whispered through her tears.

"I-I..." It was now or never. He took a big, painful gulp and continued, "I think we should call it off."

"What do you mean, 'call it off'? Call what off?" Tears were building up against Dawn's eyes trying to force their way down. She knew where this was going but she didn't want to assume yet.

"Our...our relationship. I think it's for the good of both of us." Paul regretted saying his words. It felt painful. His heart was now beating painfully against his chest as he saw the tears welling up her eyes.

"What...so that's it? After all we've been through, Paul, you're just gonna throw away what we had? What about the fun times we had together? What about the future we talked about? You're just gonna let it go to waste?" Dawn said painfully but quietly, letting out all the tears in her eyes.

"Dawn, you don't know what I'm going through-"

"And neither do you!" She retorted.

"If there's one thing I will never do in the world, it's to disobey my father. Dawn, as much as I hate to it, I have to. It's also good for you. To get your mom off your back." Paul said quietly.

"I don't _care_ if my mother keeps nagging me about this, I know this is just a phase we're going through and I believe that we will get through this. I don't know with you, though." She mumbled lowly under her breath.

"You don' t understand, Dawn. You don't know my father. I'm doing this for the benefit of both of us." Paul insisted.

"WHAT BENEFIT? What good does it do you if you're just gonna stand there doing nothing? You're giving up just because you're afraid of your father?" She exclaimed angrily but mostly in disbelief, "This is what's wrong with you, Paul. You give up too easily. You may look tough on the outside but you don't know how to fight your emotional battles! You think you're the one having the hard time? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I'M A BULLIED STUDENT, MY STEPDAD HATES ME, MY MOTHER DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR ME AND MY SOON-TO-BE EX IS EXTREMELY WEAK TO EVEN DEFEND ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH, PAUL. NOBODY DOES!" Dawn screamed loudly.

"Dawn...I-"

"You listen! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE UNDERMINING ME. I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE DOWNGRADING ME AND GIVING UP ON ME! Paul, I trusted you. I've known you for almost my whole life. I never knew that you'd be the first to let go of me that easily, Paul." She unclasped something from her neck and held Paul's hand. "I'm sorry, Paul. I really am. I don't know what I did to make you like that but..I'm sorry." She gave him one last, soft kiss on the lips before letting go of his hand. She looked into his eyes deeply before running off crying.

He felt his eyes water, he knew he was about to cry. Something he hasn't done for 12 years. His cold interior suddenly vanished leaving just a poor, innocent and helpless child inside him. He swiftly wiped away the tears building up in his eyes hurting himself in the process.

As he looked down on his hand, he saw the necklace he had given Dawn for Christmas.

They were over.

He knew it.

He took it.

He took it painfully.

He let her go. He let Dawn go. He let the _only_ girl he loved go. And it was all his fault. And he knew it.

Silently, he walked back to his house and to his room. He threw himself on the bed.

"What have I done?" He murmured to himself as he buried his face on his pillow.

Last night, they had just been talking happily about their future not knowing that the next morning, everything would be over between them. He realized this and he finally let go of all his coldness and sobbed.

**-xoOox-**

**Tears. Tears. Tears. I made this emotional. I intended for them to break up but don't worry things are gonna change. But not that easily though.**

**Please review and no flames!**

**Thank you!**

**I'll keep you updated as soon as I can.**


	16. Incomplete

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**-xoOox**

**NORMAL POV**

Neither Paul nor Dawn took their broke up that..good? If it was the right word to describe how they were taking it. Reggie, in particular, was having a hard time trying to help his brother get over the emotionally pain.

It's been two week since him and Dawn broke up but he still hadn't shown any signs of trying to move on. Paul was, once again, trashing things in his room with Reggie trying to calm him down once again.

"I'M SO STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!" Paul yelled at himself as he thrashed wildly around his room ripping off some of his throw pillows and messing up some of his stuff.

"Paul! Will you PLEASE calm down? You're going to disturb our neighbours again with your trashing! Dude, just calm down and talk it out instead of tearing down the whole house." Reggie pleaded him, fear present within his voice.

How hard is it to calm your brother down? Reggie thought worriedly.

If Paul hadn't been thrashing around, it's either he would sleep the whole day, skip meals or just sit around doing nothing. He comes home angrily after school, literally dumps his bag on his floor causing the people downstairs to flinch from the loud bangs, do his homework silently and then he would just eat a bunch of biscuits for dinner saying that he's not hungry.

Clearly, Paul hasn't been acting himself ever since his break up with Dawn. He had one person to blame though...Cyrus. He felt so stupid for listening to his father and breaking up with Dawn. He felt so stupid for listening to the one person who never listened to him his whole life. He felt extremely stupid for listening to the one person who never even bothered to accept him and talk to him and everything that he expected his father to do to him.

"I c-can't." Paul stuttered as he wiped furious tears away from his eyes. Reggie looked at him sympathetically and fearfully. It was the first time in years that he's seen Paul cry.

"Look." Reggie started firmly, "You got to get a hold of yourself and move on. There's tons of other girls out there which dad would approve of. I suggest that you fix yourself and straighten up. This is not healthy, what you're doing."

"Dawn's not just any other girl. I can't believe I gave up on her just like that. I can't believe I let her go. I'm so stupid! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID!" He shouted enraged as he punched the wall painfully from anger. His knuckles cracked, he grunted from the pain but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart.

He was mad. He was furious. He was angry. He was outraged. He was extremely enraged towards himself for having let go of the one person he loved. He couldn't believe himself. He couldn't believe that he had been so stupid and dumb.

"God damn it, Paul! Get a hold of yourself!" Reggie said as he ran to Paul's bathroom getting the first-aid kit and treating his now wounded and broken, bloody hand. As soon as it was wrapped up in a cast, Paul leaned against the corner of the wall and sighed heavily.

"Leave me alone, Reggie. I need time to think for myself." Paul muttered in a low voice.

"Whatever. Just make sure you eat something tonight, this time. Come down after 20 minutes, I'll prepare dinner." Reggie said as he closed the door gently and went down to prepare dinner.

Paul then picked up the small picture frame of him and Dawn from his bedside table which his dad never bothered look at, (Thank God he thought) and looked at the flawless, beautiful face of his girlfriend...er...ex-girlfriend that is.

"I'm sorry, Dawn. I really am. I still love you. I really do." He said as he hugged the picture, put it back and went downstairs.

If you guys haven't noticed, Paul hasn't been acting like himself anymore.

**-xoOox-**

"You know, I can't believe he actually broke up with you! I mean...PAUL! He could be a jerk and all but he really seemed to love you so much. I can't believe he let you go!" May ranted as Dawn just sat down on her bed not really listening to her friend while Misty was reading a magazine.

"I agree with May here. Paul was such a jerk! I can't believe after all you guys have been through, he'll just break up with you like that!" Misty agreed with May.

"He actually listened to his stinking father. According to Ash, his father never liked him. His father never accepted him. And now he's taking his advice? That's pathetic!" May exclaimed angrily as she sat down on the foot of Dawn's bed.

"I think you made the right choice to break up with him!" May told her friend as Misty nodded knowingly.

"Besides, you being with him would mean more stress! You make the right decisions all the time, no doubt about that!" Misty complimented her friend. Well, if it was what she called a compliment anyway.

"Dawn, you alright? You haven't even spoken a word to us besides 'come in' ever since we got here!" May asked noticing her friend's sudden silence.

"Don't tell me you haven't gotten over Paul! It's been over two weeks, seriously Dawn, forget about him. Start a new life without him. Move on. He's not worth it!" Misty insisted while Dawn just shook her head.

"I can't move on...when everything I do reminds me of him. It's like he's still attached to me. I-I just...I...just can't get him out of my system." Dawn said then bit her lip.

"This is the problem with you, Dawn. You don't know how to control your feelings. You don't know how to move on. Worst of all, you stress yourself too much!" Misty said.

"Misty's right, Dawn. Lighten up! Stop stressing yourself over your breakup with some guy-" But May got cut off as Dawn yelled:

"BUT HE'S NOT JUST SOME OTHER GUY! HE'S PAUL! I FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM! He was the first guy I ever fell in love with. I trusted him. And...and he just...he just let go of me that easily like I meant nothing to him. HE JUST LET ME GO BECAUSE HE FOCUSED MORE ON HIS PRIDE AND WANTED TO BE NOTICED BY SOME FATHER HE CALLS WHO NEVER EVEN BOTHERED TO TALK TO HIM!" Dawn angrily fumed.

"Oh come on, Dawn! You know boys, they care too much about their dignity and pride that they don't realize who they're hurting." May said hoping that it would soothe her friend.

"Oh yeah? Can you say the same thing about Ash? How about Gary? Can you say the same thing about them?" This statement left both Misty and May speechless.

Dawn realized what she had just said and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry guys. It's just that...I'm still bitter about this."

"Don't worry Dawn. We understand." May quickly said.

"Yeah, we completely understand." Misty said a little more formal than May did.

"Do you guys mind if I have some time alone with myself first?" Dawn pleaded while her friends just nodded and left Dawn to herself.

**-xoOox-**

Even in school, they both weren't doing well. And having their lockers near each other and being lab partners weren't helping either.

"Okay class, I'd like you to do the chemical equation I've written on the board and write down your observations on your notebooks. Begin." Their teacher instructed them as they started working on their chemicals.

Obviously, Dawn and Paul weren't talking to each other, yet alone, looking at each other, noticed by their friends. Paul, being the usual carefree-self he is, accidentally almost put in the wrong chemical until Dawn snapped at him.

"That's the wrong chemical you're putting! What, you want to explode or something?" Dawn snapped at him while Paul just looked at her, his eyes and face not reading any known emotion.

"I'm sorry." Paul muttered as he checked again looking for the right solution. He got frustrated after a few minutes and finally he just grabbed something out of nowhere.

"What? So you're gonna give up that easily just because you can't find the right solution to problem? Why am I not surprised?" Dawn snapped as she took the right chemical and poured it on the experiment.

Paul just stared at her and was thinking, '_and I'm supposed to be the cold one here.'_ He sighed heavily and wrote down on his notebook.

Lunch time wasn't also that good for them. School was never good for them, actually, ever since the whole breakup fling. Paul wasn't being himself and Dawn was basically acting the way Paul did before. Cold.

May, Misty, Ash, and Gary just ate in silence while they watched Dawn and Paul stare at each other. Well, Dawn was glaring at him coldly.

"You know what guys, I can't take this anymore!" Ash complained while eyeing the two warily.

"We all are Ash now go eat." Gary said stubbornly as he scooped a mouthful of whatever he was eating.

"Seriously, why can't they just be mature and talk to each other like adults and not glare daggers at each other. Why can't they just be formal?" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah, I agree with Ash on this one. I actually miss their ogling over each other in front of us even if I found it...weird. I miss them being cuddly around each other." May said sadly.

"Can't blame them. They seriously have issues." Misty said as if not having a care in the world as she ate another piece of French fries.

**-xoOox-**

Dawn finally got home angry once again that she had to put up with Paul for the whole day once again. She got even angrier as she saw her mom and Vince being all cuddly on the couch.

"Hi honey." Johanna greeted as her daughter came inside the house.

"Whatever." Dawn said grouchily as she headed towards the stairs.

"Listen Dawn, you are not to act like I'm not even your mother in this house, you understand?" Johanna angrily scolded her daughter for being such a snob who just shook her head and went upstairs.

"Johanna, calm down. Teenagers are like that. Don't mind them." Vince whispered but Johanna ignored as she stormed up to her daughter's bedroom.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU DAWN? You've been grouchy for the past two weeks! Mind telling me what this 'act' is all about?" fumed Johanna angrily.

"What are you talking about mom?" Dawn sighed obviously tired.

"I mean, you've been ignorant and grouchy the past few weeks and you won't even bother to tell me!" Johanna exclaimed.

"WHY? SO NOW IT'S YOUR BUSINESS TO KNOW WHY I'M STILL MAD WITH YOU GUYS AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME?" Dawn shouted angrily.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT DAWN? WHAT THE HELL DID WE DO?" Johanna asked furiously when an idea shot up in her mind, "Don't tell me you're still going on about me forbidding you to see Paul, do you?"

Dawn just glared daggers at her obviously stating yes.

"I just did what I knew was right for you, Dawn!" Johanna replied loudly.

"No, you did what you _thought_ was right for me, mom!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Don't you dare yell at me, Dawn! I'm your mom and I'm in charge here and you do as I say! DO NOT EVER DARE RECONNECT WITH THE SHINJIS!" Johanna yelled.

"Jeez mom, I'm not even talking to Paul anymore. Can't you at least be happy?" Dawn said.

"Good because the last thing I need is to hear that my daughter has been talking to any of them." Johanna said and left the room.

'_Mom makes me sound like I don't what I'm doing.' _Dawn thought and started studying her lessons.

**-xoOox-**

Paul arrived home and lazily threw his bag on his bed, changed his attire and went downstairs to eat something. Downstairs, he saw his dad on the couch reading a book. He chose to ignore his dad this time. He grabbed a sandwich and went towards the stairs only to be stopped by his father.

"What happened to your hand?" Cyrus asked, (demanded) as he examined it.

"It's none of your business with what I do." Paul muttered quietly and pulled his hand away from his dad.

"Don't you _dare_ act like that in front of your father, Paul Shinji! Now tell me what you did and gave you a wounded hand!" Cyrus insisted as Paul gave a sigh of defeat and rolled his eyes.

"I punched the wall, okay? Got anymore questions that I need to answer? Go shoot." Paul said in an irritated voice.

"How stupid of you to punch the wall when you know that even with all your strength combined you can't even take it down. What's wrong?" Cyrus asked, his voice wasn't really filled concern, more like curiosity.

"I was angry. I was angry at myself okay? Will you stop asking questions? I have homework to do!" Paul retorted.

"It is about our _little talk_ two weeks ago about you and Berlitz because if it is then you're being pathetic!" Cyrus yelled at his son.

"LOOK DAD, JUST BECAUSE I'M AFRAID OF YOU DOESN'T MEAN THAT I CAN'T TAKE YOU ON! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU CONTROLLING WHAT I CAN AND CANNOT DO! I'M LIVING MY LIFE AND THEREFORE, I MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS! IF YOU CAN'T ACCEPT THAT THEN FINE! WHO NEEDS YOUR OPINION? NO ONE ASKED FOR IT! SO PLEASE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, DAD!" Paul angrily ranted to his father as he stormed up to his room, banging the door so hard the frames beside it shook.

Cyrus was left there watching as his son ascended the stairs.

He was outsmarted and fought with by his own son.

He was dumbstruck and clearly, he hadn't expected Paul to burst into fits of rage at him.

But then again, come to think of it, he never knew Paul that well so he has no idea of what Paul is capable of doing.

**-xoOox-**

**PAUL'S POV**

I can't believe it. I can't believe myself. Actually, I can't believe what I've been doing for the past two weeks of my life. I'm the one who chose to break up with her right? So why am I the one who's being completely affected here?

I decided to take a stroll at the park since I was getting lonely in the filthy house because usually Dawn would call me and talk to me about random stuff. I missed her. I truly miss her.

Ever since I let her go, my life hasn't been the same anymore. It's been a wreck. I've been doing bad in my subjects. From B to a C. I haven't been doing well at football training as well. I barely make a perfect touchdown and I can't even concentrate on the practice games anymore.

Overall, I don't know what I'm doing and what I'm supposed to be doing anymore. I lost my game. I lost my track. Most importantly, I lost my motivation and my inspiration.

I'm alone. All alone in this cruel, heartless world. Why is life like this? Just when you realize what you love and want the most, it disappears. Just when you think everything is fine, problems suddenly come your way.

As I strolled down the sidewalk, I saw a family playing together. The mom and dad were chasing their son and the daughter was trying her best not to get dirty. I suddenly frowned at the sight.

I was reminded of my own family. He was a nice man, my dad. Although he never seemed to appreciate me. It's like no matter what I do he would always criticize me or complain. My mom and dad had been divorced since I was young because my dad can't stand living with her anymore. She was a rebel, I have to admit to that. She drinks, smokes, does drugs and she was cruel.

Then there's Reggie. He was the only one in my family who seemed to understand me a lot. He was always there for me but I always felt jealous of him, of how he always seemed so special in my dad's eyes. He always got the attention. And I hated it.

I looked around once again and saw a couple sitting down on the bench where Dawn and I used to sit. My problems sure are showing signs to me. First, that happy family and now, this happy couple. I know I should let go of Dawn and whatever feelings I have for her but a part of my heart didn't want to let go. Never wanting to let go of her.

I sat on the empty bench. Alone. With no one to talk to.

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

I lay down on my bed lazily. I didn't feel like doing anything at all. I felt lazy. I didn't want to move. I just wanted to be in this soft area before going to my real problems. I was bored. Usually, I would call Misty or May and talk about things with them but I didn't feel like doing so or I would call up Paul so that we could hang out in the park for the day but...you know the rest.

I felt so alone right now. It was just Paul who left me but I felt empty. I felt as if my heart missed a lot of parts.

Like I would usually do when I'm sad, I pulled out my iPod Touch from my drawer and placed it on top of the speakers and set it on shuffle mode. And as if my iPod was mocking the previous events that happened to me, a very bitter song came on reminding me of Paul and I when we were still together. It was the last song I expected to hear right now to tell you the truth.

_It never crossed my mind at all__  
><em>_That's what I tell myself__  
><em>_What we had has come and gone__  
><em>_You're better off with someone else_

It was true. What Paul and I had before and everything we'd shared was gone. All because of our parents. I actually pity him a bit. He'd be better off with someone who his father will accept anyway. Someone who knows how to deal with his immeasurable pride. Someone who knows how to deal with his mood swings like I do. Someone who'll see the _real_ Paul like I did. (**A/N: I changed some of the lyrics like him to her or something to avoid being awkward)**

_It's for the best I know it is but I see you__  
><em>_Sometimes I try to hide what I feel inside__  
><em>_And I turn around, you're with her now__  
><em>_I just can't figure it out_

The way this song actually relates with what I'm going through right now. Paul says that this breakup thing is for the best of us...to get our parents off our backs which was true but it just feels so...wrong. Of course, I wouldn't tell Paul that. I'm confused.

_Tell me why you're so hard to forget__  
><em>_Don't remind me, I'm not over it__  
><em>_Tell me why I can't seem to face the truth__  
><em>_I'm just a little too not over you, not over you_

No matter how much I try to move on, try to forget him, try to get him off my system, I just can't. I can't let go of him no matter how much I try. It's like everything I do reminds me of him. No matter how hard I try to deny it, I'm still not over him.

_Aren't memories supposed to fade?__  
><em>_What's wrong with my heart?__  
><em>_Shake it off, let it go__  
><em>_Didn't think it'd be this hard__  
><em>_Should be strong, movin' on but I see you__  
><em>_Sometimes I try to hide what I feel inside  
>Tell me why you're so hard to forget<em>_  
><em>_Don't remind me, I'm not over it__  
><em>_Tell me why I can't seem to face the truth__  
><em>_I'm just a little too not over you_

It's going to be almost three weeks since I broke up with Paul but I still can't forget the happy times we shared. When we reconciled after doing our history project together, when he wiped away that spaghetti stain on my face, when he saved me from Vince, when we were together at the mall while the others were shopping (or forced to do so), when he came in just in time before Matthew probably raped me, when he saved me from Matthew, when he admitted that he loved me, our first kiss, first date, our strolls, talking about our future and everything else. They were all crammed in my head. I just can't let him go. I'm not over him.

_Maybe I regret everything I said__  
><em>_No way to take it all back, yeah__  
><em>_Now I'm on my own, how I let you go__  
><em>_I'll never understand__  
><em>_I'll never understand!_

I suddenly felt guilty for yelling at Paul the other day. He was just thinking of my welfare and I just had to open my mouth and scream at him. He didn't want my mother to be nagging at me. He didn't want Vince to (probably) attack me. He was just trying to protect me even if he knew that it would hurt me. I regret everything I told him. I regret glaring and ignoring him in school. But I know I can't take it all back now. I regret giving the locket he gave to me as a gift for Christmas back. But mostly, I regret letting him go.

The song continued to the end and switched to a new one. But I wasn't listening anymore. I was actually crying my eyes out. 

_"What...so that's it? After all we've been through, Paul, you're just gonna throw away what we had?"_

He didn't want to throw it away. He never wanted to. He was just trying to help me.

"_I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE UNDERMINING ME."_

No, I'm sick and tired of not having confidence in myself. My low self-esteem is what's making everyone undermine me.

_I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE DOWNGRADING ME AND GIVING UP ON ME!_

No, I'm just too weak to even fight back. I'm pathetic.

I thought of him constantly.

I wanted him.

I needed him.

I missed him.

But most of all, I still love him.

**-xoOox-**

**TEARS. TEARS. AND MORE TEARS. Don't worry guys, Paul and Dawn would obviously get back together. Just stay tuned.**

**This story's almost done though. –cries a bucketful of tears-**

**Don't worry! I'm already thinking of my next ikarishipping fanfic. No need to worry as Dawn says!**

**Please review and no flames. Thank you!**


	17. Fire Hydrant

**iHey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**-xoOox**

**NORMAL POV**

Another boring day, another fitful attempt to avoid Troublesome, thought Paul. It's not that he didn't want to see her, it's just that he felt like she didn't want to see him so he decided that he should just avoid her just in case she was angry.

He walked home under the cold weather.

As he got home, he sneezed a couple of times and he was met by his brother who offered him a towel seeing how wet he is to which he desperately accepted. He found his father sitting on the couch, feet on the glass table, watching a football match. His father was an avid fan of football, something he probably inherited from his dad.

"You knew it was going to rain today and yet you were too stupid to not even bring yourself a jacket?" Cyrus asked him, well demanded him as he got off the couch and set his cup of coffee near the sink.

"Like you would actually care if I get sick because of the rain." Paul replied lazily as he dried his hair beside a nearby fan while dabbing it with the small towel Reggie gave him.

"I'm just saying that you should be careful or you'd get sick, son." Cyrus told him.

"So now you care huh?" Paul attempted to control the anger he felt towards his dad. He never understood him and Cyrus would never understand him. He was also half-curious at his father's sudden change of attitude. As if they haven't been fighting for over a month.

"So you're mad that I actually care about my son's welfare?" Cyrus angrily scoffed at him earning him a glare from Paul.

"Is this another act of yours to get me to not do something I want? What do you want now dad?" Paul asked him, his fists clenching painfully and bearing on his palms.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you be thankful to me for once that I'm actually _worried_ that you might get sick?" Cyrus retorted furiously.

"So now you decide to care? Dad, I've been dealing with your ignorance for almost the whole of my life and now when I desperately need someone because a certain someone told me not to be with my certain someone that's when you enter? WHEN WILL OU EVEN REALIZE THAT I NEED A DAD HUH?" Paul growled angrily at him.

Cyrus opened his mouth again to speak but got cut off by Paul, "ALL MY LIFE, ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS TO IMPRESS YOU BUT YOU JUST ACT AS IF YOU CAN CONTROL ME. LIKE I'M JUST A DOG UNDER A LEASH. YOU THINK IT'S EASY TO DEAL WITH YOU? AND NOW YOU'RE WONDERING WHY I'M SUSPICIOUS ABOUT YOU? TELL ME DAD, DID YOU ACT LIKE THIS WHEN I BROKE UP WITH MY GIRLFRIEND? YOU DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT MY LIFE HAS BEEN A TOTAL MESS! SO NOW YOU GO ASKING ME WHY I'M BEING SUSPICIOUS THAT YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT ME FOR ONCE? YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Paul shouted at his dad followed by a couple of coughs.

"Paul, go upstairs and rest. You seem to be sick after walking under the rain." Cyrus breathed out as Paul just glared at him, got his bag and went to his room.

Reggie looked at his dad and said, "You know, Paul was right about some things. All he ever wanted to do was impress you and make you proud and now the one time he actually enjoyed himself is the time when you had to be harsh and controlling."

"I was only doing what I know is right for him, Reggie." Cyrus muttered.

"Dad, you do realize that Paul hasn't been himself ever since you told him to go break Berlitz's heart? Do you know what he felt? He punched a wall! He thrashed around his room! He can't concentrate on his studies because of your selfishness!" Reggie shouted at his father obviously feeling his brother's pain, "Dad, for once, just let him be happy. You should've seen him when he was still with Dawn. His smile was priceless. He laughed a lot when before he never laughs. He actually was a gentleman!"

"AND HOW IS THAT MY PROBLEM REGGIE? IF HE WANTS TO ACT THE WAY HE IS NOW JUST BECAUSE OF SOME GIRL THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL LET HIM DO IT! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE MAKING SUCH A HUGE FUSS ABOUT IT!" Cyrus practically screamed at Reggie's ear causing him to shiver slightly but he chose to ignore it.

"Dawn isn't just any other girl. Dawn was the only girl he loved. Don't you realize that she's changed him? Dad, I've never seen Paul so happy before he started dating Dawn. She trusted him and Paul lived up to that trust. She loved him and Paul loved her back. He vowed that he'd never hurt her but now she's going through a breakdown just because you can't stop living in the past! Dad, what's more important? Your reputation or Paul? Paul, as in, your youngest son, your son who struggled to make you proud, who did everything to impress you and to feel accepted by his own father. I can't believe you dad." And with that, Reggie left his father to think clearly of what he has done.

Cyrus knew that both accusations of his two sons were right but he didn't want to admit it himself. He knew he had too much pride that he neglected his son. He knew that he never gave his son a chance. And he knew that the only way to make it up to him was to give him his freedom.

**-xoOox-**

Knock!

Dawn didn't answer her door.

Knock knock!

No answer.

KNOCK KNOCK!

No answer.

"DAWN OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" Johanna yelled in fury as she knocked furiously and repeatedly on the door. Dawn sighed as she got up from her bed and answered the door lazily.

"What do you want, mom?" Dawn asked her sloppily as she went back to her bed and laid down as if not noticing her mom's entrance.

"Dawn, it's time we have a talk. Not the talk that includes shouting or something but just a plain, simple talk." Johanna said calmly as she sat at the foot of her daughter's bed.

"What is it?" Dawn shot up after hearing her mom.

"I'm..." Johanna briefly paused for a second but continued, "Dawn, I'm sorry. I've been thinking about what happened these past few weeks and I...I thought...no, I knew I was wrong for telling you what to do. You were right. I don't spend time with you anymore so I don't know what you want or everything so I'm sorry for that."

"Mom..."

"Wait. I don't want to live in a house with a daughter feeling uncomfortable whenever she's around me. I want to have a daughter who's proud to call me mom and most importantly, I want my daughter to regain the respect she lost for me. Dawn, I'm sorry." Johanna said as she wiped her eyes which was already full of tears.

"Mom, I know that I may have hated you," This made Johanna cry even more, "But...I forgive you. You're my mom and I still love you." Dawn said as Johanna brought her to a tight, motherly embrace.

Dawn pulled away from her mother's grasp though and said, "Just because I forgive you doesn't mean that we're _that_ on track to each other and it doesn't mean we're already on vibes with each other that easily."

"Of course, I understand." Johanna said as she hugged her daughter again.

As she broke the hug, she said, "I think there's someone you might want to see though." Dawn looked at her questioningly and after some time of pondering, she realized what her mom was talking about. She blushed and nodded. "Right." And after that, Dawn went out of the house to take a walk while her mother watched her, smiling brightly having disregarded her shortcomings with Dawn.

**-xoOox-**

**DAWN'S POV**

I decided to take a stroll around the village after being on my bed lazily for almost the whole day. I passed by Paul's house, which gave me a nervous feeling as my stomach began to lurch up and down, the park, where people were taking normal picnics but it seemed like they were already on a rush to leave somewhere, and lastly, I passed by a small garden.

That's when what my mother told me a few moments ago struck me, "_I think there's someone you might want to see though."_ Paul. Is it really worth it to go back with him? I mean, I still love him and I really do miss him but I don't think it would be a good idea considering how hard his father is pushing him. It's like he's a robot or something.

Somewhere in some part of the village was a party for someone whom I don't know. They were dancing to a slow song that really hit me. Hard. It was really emotional and I felt like crying once again. I sat by a nearby tree to listen to the song. (**Yay! Another song! This is Before the Storm by Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus for those of you who don't know it.)**

_I know this isnt what I wanted,__  
><em>_never thought it'd come this far,__  
><em>_just thinking back to where we started__  
><em>_& how we lost all that we are_

I thought about the many times I spent with Paul. How we were thinking excitedly about our future. But none of us expected these kinds of problems in our future. We didn't even want them.

_we were young & times were easy,__  
><em>_but I could see it's not the same.__  
><em>_I'm standing here but you don't see me,__  
><em>_I'd give it all for that to change.__  
><em>_and I dont want to lose her,__  
><em>_I dont want to let her_ _go._

I remember the times when we were best friends and not yet dating. We were so young, innocent and free of the world. We didn't have a care to what has been happening around us. All we knew was that we'd be best friends forever and that's it. But now, we go to the same school but it's like we're invisible to each other. We don't even talk anymore. It's like we're going back once again to Junior Year when he ignored me. I don't want to lose him and I hope he thinks the same.

_I'm standing out in the rain,__  
><em>_I need to know if its over,__  
><em>_cause I will leave you alone  
>flooded with all this pain,<em>_  
><em>_knowing that I'll never hold her,__  
><em>_like I did before the storm_

I started walking again but the song kept playing on my mind like it was an ipod stuck on replay. As if on cue with the chorus, it started to rain. I sat down on a bench and hugged myself trying to give shelter from the rain which unfortunately didn't work. This is going to be one heck of a storm! But the greatest storm is inside my heart. I'm flooded with too much emotions about just one guy. I want to be with him. I have to tell him that I still love him. If I don't, I may never hold him like I did before the storm in my heart came.

**-xoOox-**

**NORMAL POV**

Little did Dawn know that another certain someone was strolling along the sidewalks which she happens to have passed. The certain plum-haired boy was currently thinking about our blue-haired girl who happens to be sitting by a bench trying to shield herself from the rain. Of course, he hadn't noticed being deep in thought.

She was currently running in his mind.

"_Why did I let you go? You were so special! You were the only one who understood me, who accepted me, who treated me tenderly and most of all, loved me. I can't believe I let you go! I'm STUPID! SO STUPID!" _He thought angrily to himself as he gripped his jacket forcefully not because he was cold but because he was very furious at himself.

He went over to the mini-forest of their village and took a stroll hoping that the trees would at least give him some shelter. He stared at the ground for a long time not looking at where he was going until he accidentally bumped his knee on a fire hydrant. What the heck is a fire hydrant doing in a place like this? He thought.

He grunted as he collided with the fire hydrant until he saw a lonely blue-haired girl. She was facing the street so he could only make up her blue hair and back. She was dripping wet since she didn't have anything to shelter her but her beanie which wasn't even enough to cover her from a slight drizzle.

A thought struck him like a bullet would a person's skin. That girl was no other than, Dawn! Dawn! Of all the people he would've expected to see in his slight stroll, it was his ex. He was confused but worried at the same time. Worry and concern were taking over him, his ex whom he still loved was out in the rain getting all wet and would probably get sick.

Without really thinking, at all, he quickly took his jacket off and ran towards Dawn who was now shaking, no, trembling from the cold. He gently, not thinking again, placed his jacket on her.

Dawn, feeling the warm sensation of jacket, relaxed for a few moments when she suddenly shot up realizing where it came from. She quickly turned around from the bench to look at the owner of the jacket and no mistaking, she saw no other than Paul. Paul of all the people she would've expected to see in her small adventure, it was her ex. Exactly whom she wanted to see.

As soon as she gained her senses, she spoke up. "W-w-what a-are you d-doing?" She said as she shivered from the cold and followed with a couple of sneezes.

"You were cold and trembling. I didn't want you to get sick, you know." He stated trying to hide the worry tinge in his voice though he was unsuccessful at it.

"Oh. Well th-thank y-you." She said as she walked away. But she hadn't even walked two full steps when a hand clamped around her wrist and yanked her, spinning her around in the process. She was now facing Paul and was looking deeply in his eyes.

Just by looking at him, all the happy and painful memories suddenly came to her and before she could even stop herself, she cried on Paul's chest leaving the teen to awkwardly stroke Dawn's hair.

"Paul, I-I'm sorry! I'M SORRY! I STILL WANT TO BE WITH YOU! I REALLY DO! I MISS YOU! AND-AND I NEED YOU A-AND I-I...I'M SORRY, PAUL, I AM!" Dawn shouted through her muffled sobs and her forehead against his chest.

Paul was speechless as soon as she blurted out her words. He wanted to say that he forgave her but his mind went blank upon hearing the words. He just stood there, hugging his girl and stroking her blue hair.

"Paul, ever since the break up, everything has gone totally downhill! I haven't been talking to my mom, I haven't been talking much to my friends a-and...I-I just miss you so much! Paul, I want you in my life! Everything I do reminds me of you! Those made me realize how much I wanted you, how much I missed you, how much I need you and how...h-how much..I lo-loved you! Paul, I love you, okay? I still do and not even my parents and your dad are going to stand in my way from getting back with you!" She said loudly past her tears. She gripped the sides of Paul's shirt tightly as if to tell her that he was still there.

"Dawn...I haven't been the same as well. My life hasn't been normal anymore. Everything was falling apart. Instead of making my dad proud, I just gave him a reason to probably dislike me even more. I haven't been talking to my brother lately and I barely had time teasing Ash and Gary. Dawn, I..I miss you too and I really do love you. I never did stop loving you. Everyday, I would look at your picture beside my bed would tell it how my day went. Dawn, you changed me and I...I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have given up on you. You were what completed me and I, I'm really sorry. Is there ever a chance that you would forgive me?" Paul pleaded.

Now, Paul isn't the kind of guy to say things like his speech. He used to classify it as one of those cutesy and corny things that girls say but he never thought that he would be one to tell that to his girl. He was changed. Definitely changed.

The heavy rainfall continued to pour noisily on the ground but that was not any of their problems at all. They were now both dripping wet. Their clothes sticking to their bodies but neither of them gave attention to it.

Dawn was busy letting all her emotions out while Paul was still trying to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Dawn. I am. I may not be the perfect man, we may not be the perfect couple and we may have other fights than this in the future but I could assure you that I still love you." Paul said.

Before he could even control himself and let Dawn speak, he leaned down and captured her lips with his. The feeling was ecstatic. Kissing your girlfriend once again under the rain. He definitely missed her soft, pink lips and the way she held onto his neck while he circled her waist. He gently stroked both her arms up and down probably to warm her up. The thunder and lightning crashed and flashed but they didn't seem to mind just as long as they were in each others arms once again.

Slowly and hesitantly, Paul drew away from the _long_ kiss from lack of air but his arms never left Dawn and so did his jacket. Dawn smiled at him through her tears and the streaming rain water on her face. He gave her a soft smile and pulled her closer to him.

What started as a very bad day for them, ended extremely happy and relieving for them. For once after almost a month, they were actually happy. And they knew that no matter what their parents would say, they would be together.

Paul walked Dawn to her house. His arm was around her shoulders while Dawn's hand was currently holding the hand that was dangling from her shoulder. They both walked in silence as they were still overwhelmed with the events of the day. But they were both sure of something, he was hers and she was his and no one could change that.

**-xoOox-**

**Finally done with this chapter! Hope you guys liked it even though it was a bit cheesy and corny if you ask me. I'll probably make 2 or 3 more chapters before I start working on another one so stay tuned.**

**Review and no flames please. Thank you!**


	18. Graduating from the Past

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**-xoOox**

**NORMAL POV**

Another day in school and still, no one knew about Paul and Dawn's renewed relationship. Not even their friends, not even Reggie nor Cyrus. Although technically speaking, Johanna may know about it since she actually encouraged Dawn to get back together with him.

Paul fetched Dawn from her house early in the morning that Monday as they were getting ready for their last week in school.

_**DING DONG!  
>DING DONG!<strong>_

Paul rang the doorbell of the Berlitz mansion twice and after a few moments, it was opened by Johanna. Unnoticeably and unconsciously, Paul took a deep and painful gulp. He was still nervous around Dawn's mom but he managed.

"Oh! Nice to see you here, Paul. Would you like to come in?" Mrs. Berlitz nicely asked but Paul was too busy being 'nervous' that he didn't notice the kind offer.

"Uhh..i-is Dawn there?" He asked nervously. It was normal for him to be nervous. He's speaking to his girlfriend's mom! And they haven't been in good terms for a while now...well that's what Paul thinks.

"Dawn's still upstairs getting ready to go. Did you have breakfast already? Dawn told me to cook something for you in case you were hungry." Johanna kindly offered.

"Y-yeah. I had br-breakfast already, thank you for asking though." He replied, again, his voice was still shaking.

"Oh well that's too bad. Come in, I insist." Johanna said while Paul just nodded and followed her inside their residence.

Just by looking at the interior of the house, Paul could tell that things were being kept organized and the house was cleaned almost everyday. He hadn't seen this house for over a month but he could tell that almost nothing changed inside. The red couch was still glued, in Paul's terms, to the wall. The plasma screen was still hanging on the wall. The bookshelf was still in its place near the staircase and the dining table was still in its original position.

The piano was still in its original place, near the entrance door and near the window. He could remember exactly what brought him to love music. It was because of music that he had met the one person he now loves. He still remembered Dawn playing a song from some children's movie and when he knocked on her door to ask if she was playing the piano to which she said yes.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Johanna asked breaking Paul out of his reverie. Paul just went with a glass of water. He was still confused at why Dawn's mother would be so nice to him and would wake up as early as 7 in the morning just to entertain Paul, not that he was suspicious.

This is something he should get used to if he continues dating Dawn, Paul thought silently to himself.

He was kind of glad that Vince was not here to ruin the moment. He didn't want to see the shocked expression of Vince, once he sees the boy who hated him so much.

He heard a pair of feet going down the staircase and he could just make out that it was Dawn.

"Morning, Paul!" She chirped happily as she went over to slip in a pair of blue flats to go with her blue tanktop and yellow croptop. Who knew she would dress up this nicely just for school. But then again, it wasn't just a normal school day. It was the third to the last day of school. High school. And wearing something nice is probably one way of enjoying it.

"Troublesome," He greeted as he scooted a little further to give Dawn some space. Dawn sat beside him as she fixed her school bag. Johanna came in with the tray of juice and water together with some cookies.

"Knock yourselves up!" She said as she went upstairs to her room. Probably to sleep again.

"Your mom makes delicious cookies." Paul complimented as he took another bite. Dawn just smiled at him and resumed to eating her cookies.

They continued to eat in silence until Dawn decided to spit out a question that has been on her mind ever since Valentine's day.

"Paul?"

"Hm?"

"Are you...Are you going to the Senior's dance on Saturday?" She asked, hoping that Paul would come. Paul wasn't the kind of guy to go to these parties but Dawn just wanted to make sure.

"Yeah" He replied much to Dawn's shock.

"You are?"

"Hey I'm not completely or 100% anti-fun you know." He retorted, annoyed at the fact that his own girlfriend would actually think he wouldn't go to something like that.

"Oh...well if you're going then I am too!" Dawn said excitedly.

"That's good, then." Paul replied, taking another bite out of his fourth cookie. Paul and his cookie-loving schemes.

"Huh? W-why?" Dawn asked in a confused manner.

"I know we're going out but, um, would you go to the dance with me Dawn? Our first formal dance?" Paul asked, staring deeply in her sapphire eyes, smiling softly at her.

Dawn smiled back at him and replied, "Thought you'd never ask."

"Thanks, Troublesome." He said, going back to his dark exterior. "Oh and before I forget, I thought you might want something back."

"Huh? What's that?" Dawn asked in wonder.

Paul pulled out a soft, blue velvet box and opened it. Inside was the locket he had given her last Christmas which she reluctantly gave back when they broke up.

Paul picked it up and placed it around her neck.

"I thought you would forget. Like I said before, that locket reminds you of me whenever we're not together." Paul gently whispered to her as Dawn hugged Paul around the neck.

"Paul, Dawn, you better make your way to your school now." Johanna said as she, once again, descended down the staircase.

"Right!" Dawn said as let go of Paul and went outside.

"Paul?" Johanna called out.

"Yes, Mrs. Berlitz?"

"Thank you" she whispered followed by a nod.

"Huh?" Paul asked her wondering why on earth she would thank him.

"For taking care of Dawn." Mrs. Berlitz said.

"No problem. I'll make sure she's in good hands with me." Paul assured her as he went after Dawn.

**-xoOox-**

"Whoa whoa whoa, Paul! What the heck are you doing to Dawn? You gonna humiliate her or something?" Misty said, aggravated, still not aware of the fact that they had just made up that weekend.

"Hey I'm no-" But Paul's explanation got cut off as May darted in.

"If you're gonna, 're-break' her heart then you're gonna have those eyes burned alive!" May screeched at him while Dawn just stifled a laugh at the nervous-looking Paul.

Paul looked at her with pleading eyes and though she enjoyed seeing him like this, she knew it had to end. "Guys, we're together again! We made up last weekend. He even gave my locket back, see?" She said as she raised the locket for them to see.

"Oh...in that case, congratulations Paul and Dawn! I'm so happy for you guys!" Misty said, her angry mood turned into an excited and happy mood. Paul just sweatdropped and raised an eyebrow at them.

"Women.." Paul muttered quietly but enough for Dawn to hear.

"Jerk." Dawn playfully said.

"Whatever."

"Aww I missed your playful bickering!" May squealed.

"Can we please get out of here?" Paul mumbled in Dawn's each to which she just giggled.

"Shinji!" Oh great, there's Ketchum and Oak, Paul thought. Things were beginning to get interesting. Well...for Dawn as a matter of fact.

**-xoOox-**

**TIMESKIP (last day of school; day before graduation!)**

"I can't believe we're going to graduate tomorrow! I mean, it was like yesterday when we first met, when we were freshmen and now we're gonna leave high school. It's so sad." May said as she wiped away a fake tear.

It was true. High school life is one of the best stages in life and leaving it would probably so emotional. You're going to miss all your friends, your traditions, and practically, most of your adolescent life. That's the spirit of most students in Melbourne, they all thought of everything they'll be doing for the last day as their last activity in high school.

"Dawn, you're crying." Misty told her friend as Dawn had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" May asked.

"Um...you see..I'm just nervous. Paul still hasn't gotten his letter from Canalave State University and I'm afraid that he...didn't pass which means that we'll have to live far away from each other until we graduate college. I can't deal with that!" Dawn said past her stifled sobs.

"Dawn, maybe he passed but he kept it from your or...the university just had trouble with the many students who took tests. It's not really _that_ easy to compute for test results you know." Misty explained while she rubbed her friends back in an attempt to comfort her.

"But I already received _my_ results and _my _letter!" Dawn complained as she dug her face in her hands.

"That's because _you _took the exam last summer while Paul took his last December!" Misty said.

"But still...what if...what if he doesn't pass?" She sadly wondered and imagined life without him.

"Do you really NOT believe in your boyfriend's capabilities? And if he doesn't pass, we're all going to CSU so you've got us and you can always video chat him or something." May said hoping that she could at least cheer Dawn up.

"I hope." Dawn muttered quietly.

They continued walking and ended up resting at the school's garden where the fountain and some tables were located. They sat on a table near the fountain and chitchatted about some things.

"Dawn, I see Paul and the other two over there near the fountain. I think you should talk to him." May suggested whilst Dawn nodded and went over to Paul. When she was already about 7 feet away from him, as if on cue, he looked up and waved, signalling her to come over to him, like what she originally planned.

"Hey Troublesome!" He said as he smiled at Dawn and circled his arms around her waist and brought her down with him so she could sit on his lap while he sat on the ground, his back rested on the fountain's ledge. He's happy today, TOO happy, Dawn thought.

"Hey Paul" Dawn said a bit glumly.

"Why are you sad? Aren't you happy to see me?" Paul asked. _To see me_ ran through Dawn's mind and the thought of him not going to the same college as her was consuming most of her mind once more.

"P-paul, what if they reject you in Canalave's? What if you're going to go to a farther college and we might have to go through a long-distance relationship? What if I might not see you in a long time? Paul, what if...what if you.." Then she began crying on Paul's chest while he was just smirking at her the whole time without Dawn noticing.

"They're giving out the results tomorrow. Same day as our graduation. You better fix yourself and prepare that speech of yours." He said as he lifted Dawn's head up to face his, "You know, I'm very proud of you. Not everyone has a top student of the batch and the most beautiful and most talented girl in the world for a girlfriend, but I have. You're a great person Dawn and who cares if we might have to engage on a long-distance relationship? If I have to drive a million miles just to get to you then I would. Now stop crying and show everyone that you're the top 1 student of the batch." Paul said while smirking inwardly in his mind. "_Wish you knew" _ he thought.

"You know what, y-you're right Paul. Thank you so much! For everything! And even if we don't have the same college, I'll still gladly visit you as often as I could!" Dawn told him as she engulfed him in a breath-taking hug.

"Please get off me" Paul said.

**-xoOox-**

It was finally the day they've all been waiting for. GRADUATION! Right now, they were all inside the assembly room getting ready for their march.

"You look good" Paul said to his girlfriend who looked at him and winked.

"Not too bad yourself." Dawn said. They were all wearing whatever they wanted to wear under their blue and yellow graduation coat and their blue and yellow toga.

"Hey, after the graduation ceremony, meet me under that huge tree near the fountain, got it?" Paul said and Dawn nodded.

"Okay, see you later." He said and got out of the room.

"I wonder what he's planning to tell me..." Dawn muttered but shrugged it off as she went to the ladies' room.

**-xoOox-**

"Now, let us hear from Lila Tarriet who shall be singing, 'The Best Day', a song she wrote. (**The song's title is THE BEST DAY and it's by Taylor Swift. Although let's pretend that Lila wrote it. I do not own Taylor Swift nor her songs.)**

"Thank you, Miss Sagnes. So how are y'all today? Feeling fine? I hope so. Now we all know that today marks the end of our High School career, sad I know. But they say that High School is filled with the best days of your life. I hope you enjoyed those four years. So now, I'll play a song I wrote for you guys. Hope you like it!" Lila said as she put on her guitar and sat on the high stool. She started strumming her guitar and began to sing.

_I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on__  
><em>_I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run__  
><em>_Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold__  
><em>_I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home_

_I don't know why all the trees change in the fall__  
><em>_But I know you're not scared of anything at all__  
><em>_Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away__  
><em>_But I know I had the best day with you today_

Lila was the best writer in school, that's what Dawn thought. She could really write about what she felt and her experiences. So far, Dawn was proud of the song. It was something she could relate to. It was a song wherein she was reminded of her...real dad.

_I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean__  
><em>_I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys__  
><em>_And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away__  
><em>_And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names___

_I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school__  
><em>_But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you__  
><em>_Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay  
>But I know I had the best day with you today<em>

Exactly what happened to Dawn. She once belonged to a group in school called "The Spice" and believe it or not, she used to be best friends with Ursula. Until one day, they backstabbed her and told some rumors about her to the school. She went home crying and her dad had to take her to somewhere she really loved. The next day, she was lonely and that's how she met May, Kenny and Zoey. She met Misty more than eight years ago.__

_I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger__  
><em>_God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am__  
><em>_I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run__  
><em>_And I had the best days with you__  
><em>  
><em>There is a video I found from back when I was three<em>_  
><em>_You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me__  
><em>_It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs__  
><em>_And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world__  
><em>  
><em>And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall<em>_  
><em>_I know you were on my side even when I was wrong__  
><em>_And I love you for giving me your eyes__  
><em>_For staying back and watching me shine__  
><em>_And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say__  
><em>_That I had the best day with you today__  
><em>_  
><em>As Lila finished the song, everybody was clapping hard, most of the audience were standing up. Some students were actually crying knowing that today would be their last day. Dawn was one of them but she had to fix herself to prepare for her speech.

"Thank you, Lila, for your wonderful song. Let us now hear our one and only valedictory speech from our valedictorian, Dawn Berlitz! Let's all give her a round of applause." Ms. Sagnes said through the microphone as Dawn walked up to the stage nervously. Her mom was looking at her intently with a big smile plastered on her face while Vince was asleep.

Dawn took a big gulp but Paul's smile caught her and she smiled with confidence as she made her way to the stage.

"Good morning, teachers, friends, classmates, schoolmates, parents and special guests. Today we're celebrating one of the most important stages of one's life...Graduation. I, for one, am honoured to be here in front of you to share my experiences throughout my whole High School journey." She began as she received some grins and smiles from the other people.

She continued, "People say that High School years are one of the best years that make up a person's life. I couldn't agree more. High school...it's about discovering who you really are. Trying to find out whether you're one of the jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, athletes, ordinary people, and others. High School is for knowing what you are and what you're capable of. It's about gaining new friends, knowing new things and discovering more." She continued speaking as she remembered some important moments in her high school life.

"There'll be times when we suddenly daydream or not pay attention in class..."

_-flashback-_

_"Ms. Berlitz! Stop day dreaming and pay attention!" scolded my history teacher. I've been daydreaming about Paul that I hadn't realized that we were already discussing our lessons. This is totally embarrassing._

_Oh yeah, I haven't told you yet! Paul and I have the same history, calculus, chemistry and music classes. I felt my cheeks flush red from embarrassment. You'd feel the same if you got caught daydreaming in class! Oh the embarrassment!_

"There'll be times when we're too aggressive" Dawn continued while looking at May who blushed from embarrassment.

_-flashback-_

_"Hello Berryhead! I see you've got your sidekicks with you too! Hello Carrot and Skank" Ugh. Ursula again, here to destroy my perfect lunch._

_"DID YOU JUST CALL ME A SKANK?" May shouted at her causing stares from everyone else in the cafeteria including Ash and Gary. Okay, where the heck is Paul?_

_"Why? You mad?" Ursula smirked. Knowing May, she'd probably cut Ursula's head for now but since I don't want her to be jailed for life, Misty and I decided to grab hold of both her hands. Never call May a skank, ever! Trust me, Harley, some bully back in freshman year called her a Skank and next thing we knew he was lying down in a hospital bed and May got suspended for a whole two weeks._

"There'll be times when people knock us down..." Dawn said clearly remembering the incident with the spaghetti.

-_flashback-_

_"I have. Oh well, I'll leave you and your vegetables alone. See you in gym class!" Ursula chuckled evilly and 'accidentally' dumped spaghetti on my head._

_"Oops my bad. Let me clean that up for you." She said and dumped water on my head._

_"What the hell is wrong with you? CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?" I yelled at her but she seemed to ignore it as she laughed together with Lea and Clare._

_"At least the orange tint in your fake hair's been cleaned up by the water" She smirked and walked away. That bitch totally annoys me!_

_I sat back down on my chair only to be interrupted by a huge fit of laughter. This is totally embarrassing! Who wouldn't be embarrassed? I'm a total mess. I could feel the hot tears burning inside my eyes and a lump blocking my throat. May and Misty tried to get those small spaghetti bits out of my hair but it didn't stop the people in the cafeteria from laughing._

"There would be those who would hurt you whether intentionally or unintentionally..." She continued while she glared at the sleeping Vince beside Johanna.

-_flashback-_

_(written in Paul's POV though but I think you can make out the scene)_

_"DON'T YOU DARE HURT DAWN! Seriously, man, you hurt a girl? Are you that low? Man up!" I spat at him._

_"OH PLEASE LIKE Y-" I cut him off with another punch and said, "TALK AGAIN AND YOU'RE DEAD!" He stood up and stomped angrily to his room upstairs. As soon as he was gone, I turned to the crying and shaking blue-haired girl on the floor. I walked up to her and she, unexpectedly, hugged me and cried on my chest._

"There'll be those people who are always willing to help us no matter what the cost..." Dawn said as she looked at Paul and gave him a soft and small smile.

-_flashback- (still another scene with Paul's POV)_

_"I-I'm f-fi-i-ne." She choked out. I went inside her bathroom to look for something to treat her. I found a small, purple hand towel folded neatly on the silver rack in her bathroom and soaked it in cold water. Once I was done with the soaking, I went back to her, sat her up and dabbed the piece of cloth softly on her bruise next to her mouth. I clutched her hand and squeezed it to assure her that it's alright._

_"T-that hurts." She said. No duh. I lightened my touch and after a few minutes of dabbing, I went back to the bathroom and soaked the towel in cold water again. I looked for something that could treat the wounds on her wrists and came across a bottle of alcohol and some bandages. I'm sorry, Dawn, but this is going to sting. I got the towel, a new towel, the bandages and a bottle of alcohol and went back to her bed to treat her._

"There'll be those times when a hero comes to your rescue..." Dawn said while she glared at Matthew and then softened.

-_flashback-_

_"P-Please M-m-math-thew s-stop it-t" Dawn cried out. Matthew didn't listen as he began kissing her firmly on the neck while rubbing her sides gently. The door suddenly flew open and a purple blur attacked Matthew right on the face._

_"GET OFF HER YOU IDIOT! I CAN SUE YOU FOR RAPING AN INNOCENT 18-Year old GIRL YOU BASTARD!" Paul shouted as he continued to punch Matthew on the face._

_"Dawn over here –hic- has a great –hic- body." It took Dawn a while to register that Matthew had just zipped down her dress. She blushed furiously when she realized this and quickly wrapped a blanket around her to cover herself._

"High school is another one of those times when you realize who, "The One" is, you realize the people whom you want to be with..." Dawn said and looked at Paul in time to see him look up at her and smirk.

-_flashback-_

_"I love you too, Dawn. I don't think I'll need to explain that. I'm not that talkative." Paul said while he smirked._

_"You love me?" Dawn asked in disbelief as Paul nodded._

_"I have for a long time. Likewise, I'm afraid of rejection." Paul Shinji? Afraid? Of rejection? Well this is a first!_

_She smiled widely at Paul and leaned in to softly kiss him on the lips. He kissed back. Dawn nibbling on his lower lip while his lips were clamped on her upper lip. It may have been just a simple kiss but it was enough to fit all the emotions they have felt since they met each other. It was the kiss that signified a new beginning. The kiss, although simple, gave them a feeling of ecstasy and fulfilment. It gave them a sense of security and most of all, it gave them the assurance that nothing will ever tear them apart and that they can help one another in all challenges they will encounter._

"High school...a period of your life when you try to decide your future, whether it's college or building a family and the like..." Dawn said.

-_flashback-_

_(another scene with Paul's POV but you get the scene)_

_"Different this time. I wonder if Vince would be a tad bit nicer to me on Christmas day. At least one day with no bullying or painful words or whatever." She said. I smiled softly at her and cuddled her closer to me._

_"You know, when we get married in the future, I get to spend all my Christmas-es with you." I told her._

_"We're too young to get married, Paul." She replied._

_"I know. I'm planning in advanced. Advanced planning gets everything done easily." I explained and she just nodded and went back to resting on my chest._

_"I wonder how many kids we'll be having when we get married sometime in the future. I want 5." She said taking me aback._

_"F-five?" I asked nervously. SHE WANTS FIVE CHILDREN. THAT MEANS FIVE NIGHTS OF YOU KNOW. Not that I'm against it but is she serious? How the heck are we gonna raise five children?_

"High school is when you realize what pain really is, what breaking apart is..." Dawn continued.

-_flashback-_

_"You don' t understand, Dawn. You don't know my father. I'm doing this for the benefit of both of us." Paul insisted._

_"WHAT BENEFIT? What good does it do you if you're just gonna stand there doing nothing? You're giving up just because you're afraid of your father?" She exclaimed angrily but mostly in disbelief, "This is what's wrong with you, Paul. You give up too easily. You may look tough on the outside but you don't know how to fight your emotional battles! You think you're the one having the hard time? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I'M A BULLIED STUDENT, MY STEPDAD HATES ME, MY MOTHER DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR ME AND MY SOON-TO-BE EX IS EXTREMELY WEAK TO EVEN DEFEND ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH, PAUL. NOBODY DOES!" Dawn screamed loudly._

_"Dawn...I-"_

_"You listen! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE UNDERMINING ME. I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE DOWNGRADING ME AND GIVING UP ON ME! Paul, I trusted you. I've known you for almost my whole life. I never knew that you'd be the first to let go of me that easily, Paul." She unclasped something from her neck and held Paul's hand. "I'm sorry, Paul. I really am. I don't know what I did to make you like that but..I'm sorry." She gave him one last, soft kiss on the lips before letting go of his hand. She looked into his eyes deeply before running off crying._

"High school is when you know what happiness is, when you find it and how you will forever cherish it..."

-_flashback-_

_"I'm sorry, Dawn. I am. I may not be the perfect man, we may not be the perfect couple and we may have other fights than this in the future but I could assure you that I still love you." Paul said._

_Before he could even control himself and let Dawn speak, he leaned down and captured her lips with his. The feeling was ecstatic. Kissing your girlfriend once again under the rain. He definitely missed her soft, pink lips and the way she held onto his neck while he circled her waist. He gently stroked both her arms up and down probably to warm her up. The thunder and lightning crashed and flashed but they didn't seem to mind just as long as they were in each others arms once again._

"You realize who your true friends are, those who comfort you when you down, those who help you when you need them and those who accept you for who you are..."

-_flashback-_

"_Dawn, maybe he passed but he kept it from your or...the university just had trouble with the many students who took tests. It's not really that easy to compute for test results you know." Misty explained while she rubbed her friends back in an attempt to comfort her._

"_But I already received my results and my letter!" Dawn complained as she dug her face in her hands._

"_That's because you took the exam last summer while Paul took his last December!" Misty said._

"_But still...what if...what if he doesn't pass?" She sadly wondered and imagined life without him._

"_Do you really NOT believe in your boyfriend's capabilities? And if he doesn't pass, we're all going to CSU so you've got us and you can always video chat him or something." May said hoping that she could at least cheer Dawn up._

"Lastly, you realize that family is more important than anything in the world. You may fight with your mom almost everyday, you may barely have no time for each other, you may not have a dad to support you but you're still family. And family stays together all the time. Now, as we continue with our story, we turn on the page of our book to a new chapter, a new...j-journey...college, we keep everything we've done together in our hearts. You may be...separated (she said quietly as she blinked back tears when she thought that she may have to leave Paul) but all the memories you've shared will always be in your hearts. All of them. Congratulations fellow schoolmates for graduating and hope we meet again soon! Thank you and good day." Dawn finally ended her speech and took a bow before returning to her seat.

"Thank you, Dawn Berlitz! We will now proceed to the graduation rites!" Ms. Sagnes said. The ceremony continued until they were finally pronounced as graduates of Melbourne High. Graduation hats were all over and people were going to their parents.

"Mom! I'm finally a graduate!" Dawn said as she gave her mother a big hug ignoring Vince.

"I know...I can't believe time flies so fast! Congratulations honey! I'm so proud of you!" Johanna said as she squeezed her daughter.

"Thank you, Mom! I wouldn't have done it without you." She whispered softly.

"Isn't there someone you need to see right now?" Mrs. Berlitz asked.

"How did you know?" Dawn asked in disbelief.

"I just do, mother's intuition, now go!" Mrs. Berlitz said as Dawn nodded and ran to the big tree beside the fountain.

Dawn immediately saw Paul leaning on the tree's trunk and leaped up to hug him wherein he successfully caught her.

"You were great, Dawn, a while ago." Paul said softly as he looked deeply in her eyes.

"Thank you, Paul. You know, when I was saying my speech, I remembered you most of the time and the times we had together." Dawn said as she cuddled closer to Paul.

"I did too." Paul whispered in her ear. She nodded as she buried herself in Paul's chest.

"I have news for you" Paul told her as Dawn pulled away from the hug and looked at him both anxiously and nervously.

"Did you pass or not?" Dawn asked while Paul just smiled.

"Read the letter." Paul said as he inwardly smirked to himself. He handed the letter to Dawn and she opened it as quick as she can and read aloud the letter.

"Dear Paul Hayden Shinji, so that's your second name!" Paul just glared at her and she giggled before continuing with the letter, "We have received the new set of entrance exam passer for Canalave State University blah blah blah blah blah...we are PLEASE TO INFORM YOU, "Dawn said louder as got excited and resumed to the letter, "THAT YOUR ARE ONE OF THE LUCKY PASSERS FOR THE CANALAVE STATE UNIVERSITY. We look forward to seeing you here in one of the most prestigious colleges of Sinnoh. Thank you for your times and good day!"

"So?" Paul said as he fully smirked at her.

"I can't believe it! Paul you passed! Which means I don't have to worry about long-distance relationships and all! Paul that's awesome! I'm so excited! We'll be studying in the same school as Misty and May while Ash goes to Snowpoint and Gary goes Hearthome for their college. I mean, we're all near each other! This is gonna be ex-" But she got cut off as she felt something warm against her.

It took her a second or two to realize that Paul was kissing her softly and gently. He held her waist and pulled it closer to him. So close that not even an ant would fit between them. Dawn slowly snaked her arms up Paul's neck and stood on her tiptoes. They progressed the kiss by brushing and playing with their tongues with each other.

They were going to be together after all and it was the most important thing for Dawn at the moment.

**-xoOox-**

**Next chapter will be about the dance and the epilogue. Hope you guys liked this! I'll update as soon as I can. I have too many homeworks at the moment but I think I can manage.**

**I'll probably start my new fanfiction next week.**

**Get ready and stay tuned!**

**Review and no flames please! Thanks!**


	19. Enchanting Ends

**Hey guys! Thanks for the nice reviews! I'm sorry for the weird typos and wrong stuff here. I usually write this story at night and sometimes I'm just too tired which is why I don't even recognize the typos. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, still keeping up with the story? I hope you like it! I'll try to make this better and thank you for reading.**

**Please reviews and no flames **

**This will be, unfortunately, the last chapter. –cries- Everything must come to an end and I'm afraid that I've already reached the pinnacle of my story.**

**But don't worry! I have a new story on the way and hopefully, I can post it next week!**

**-xoOox**

**NORMAL POV**

"DAWN ANNA BERLITZ! YOU BETTER STEP OUT OF THAT BATHROOM NOW! YOUR DATE'S GONNA PICK YOU UP ANY MINUTES AND YOU'RE STILL IN THAT BATHROOM!" roared Johanna as she banged her fists on Dawn's bathroom door.

After what seemed like eternity for Mrs. Berlitz, Dawn finally stepped out of the bathroom.

"Oh my gosh, honey! You look gorgeous! Paul is so gonna love that dress on you! The fabric is really soft and silky and the colour matches your eyes and your hair! Totally fantastic!" Johanna said as she clasped her hands in delight, her eyes glimmering from excitement.

Dawn was wearing a sky blue dress which was tight around the chest but flowed down loosely and freely from her diaphragm up to the knees, well almost at the knees. It was short-sleeved with ruffles. Dawn wore a pair of gold dangling earrings. Her hair was curled at the bottom and was being help high with a ponytail with some loose strands falling freely to her shoulders. She wore a pair of silver high-heels, about 2 or 3 inches tall. On her neck hung the locket Paul had given her for Christmas.

"Thank you, mom!" Dawn said as she checked herself out in the full body mirror beside her study desk.

"Honey, you should seriously get off that mirror and stop checking yourself out. You look gorgeous, amazing and beautiful and I'm sure Paul would really think so. Heck, he likes you even without make up on. Now go downstairs. Your guy's going to be here in any second." Johanna said and as if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Oof! That's Paul. Let's go, Dawn. Enjoy your night!" Johanna said as she opened the door and went out to open the entrance door while Dawn followed, carefully walking down the steps.

Outside stood Paul, leaning over at his car. He was dressed in a not-so-formal attire as his tuxedo jacket was unbuttoned and his white polo under wasn't tucked in. But eitherway, Dawn thought he looked hot.

Paul looked at the blue-haired beauty in admiration. The dress emphasized her curves but what attracted him most was his girlfriend's beautiful face. Well, it wasn't a surprise anyway. Paul thought Dawn was beautiful with or without makeup.

Dawn walked up to him and smiled. He returned the smile and said, "You look beautiful, Dawn. You really do." At this comment, Dawn was unable to conceal her blush.

"And you're the most handsome guy I have seen in my entire life." Dawn said as she kissed his cheek. "Well, see you later, Mom!" She said as her mom waved. Paul opened the car door for her and went to his side. He paused for a moment to look at her in awe and proceeded to drive to their school's gymnasium.

**-xoOox-**

"Dawn, Paul! You guys look good!" May squealed while Ash just facepalmed.

"Thank you, you guys look good as well!" Dawn told her. She spotted Misty and Gary, looking very busy, what with the touching and all.

"Dawn, wanna dance?" Paul asked as he held out his hand to Dawn to which she happily accepted. Paul led her to the dance floor and locked his arms around Dawn's waist while her arms flew up to his neck, her head buried on his chest.

"You know, I still think we were destined to meet when we were younger. Look at us now, happy, free and living a good life, don't you think?" Dawn asked as she gazed at his eyes.

"I don't really care about destiny and other things, just as long as I have you here." Paul said.

"That's cheesy, Paul."

"But you love it." He said through a smirk.

"Mmhmm." Dawn said as she proceeded to hugging him.

(A/N: The song's title is Enchanted by Taylor Swift)

"_**There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles**__**  
><strong>__**Same old, tired place lonely place**__**  
><strong>__**Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy**__**  
><strong>__**Vanished when I saw your face**__****_

_**All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you"**_

_-flashback-_

_She's been looking sad this week. Okay, I know she's been sad for a year but this looks weird. As if something's bothering her, that smile she gives to her friends is gone and her cheerful energy seems to have been drained. It's like she's worrying to much. I just want to jump out of this seat and tackle her into a hug but then I'd be out of character. Even if we haven't had much connections the past year, I know that she knows that it's out of my character to hug people. She's the only person I used to hug. Not even Reggie received any of my hugs._

_The bell rang and the teacher came in. Great! Lessons again._

_**Your eyes whispered, "Have we met?" across the room, your silhouette**__**  
><strong>__**Starts to make its way to me**__**  
><strong>__**The playful conversation starts, counter all your quick remarks**__**  
><strong>__**Like passing notes in secrecy**__****_

_**And it was enchanting to meet you**__**  
><strong>__**All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you**__**  
><strong>_

_-flashback-_

_I was about to fall asleep when a small blue paper was handed to me by my seatmate. I opened it and in a very neat penmanship wrote:_

_"__Hey Paul! I'm sorry about a while ago. I guess I lost my control. –Dawn"_

_I was about to look back when I saw her look at me from two chairs behind my seatmate. I smiled back at her and wrote:_

_"__No need to worry right?"_

_I passed it to my seatmate who passed it to the people until it reached Dawn. I realized that I kept looking at her so much that I forgot that Mr. Hudson was even discussing._

_"SHINJI! Pay attention!" His voice surprised me and I abruptly faced the board while I saw from the corner of my eye that Ketchum and Oak were laughing silently at me with evil (yeah right) glints in their eyes._

_**This night is sparkling, don't you let it go**__**  
><strong>__**I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home**__**  
><strong>__**I'll spend forever wondering if you knew**__**  
><strong>__**I was enchanted to meet you**_

"Hey Paul?" Dawn once again looked up at him.

"Hm?" He asked lifting his head from her hair and smiling down.

"I'm glad I met you." She said as her lips curved in to a small smile.

"I'm glad too. Overjoyed actually, I just don't look like it." Paul said as he buried his face on her hair again.

_**The lingering question kept me up, 2 a.m., who do you love?**__**  
><strong>__**I wonder 'til I'm wide awake**__**  
><strong>__**Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door**__**  
><strong>__**I'd open up and you would say**__****_

_**It was enchanting to meet you**__**  
><strong>__**All I know is I was enchanted to meet you**_

_-flashback-_

_I've fallen in love with my best friend._

_It's both a good and a bad thing. It's good because he is my best friend and he's quite nicer to me than anybody else even his friends. He never treats me like dirt even if he remains emotionless to me. I just hope that if I tell him that I like him, he'll still accept me as his friend._

_Now for the bad thing. He is Paul and I don't want to end up like Ursula who got turned down a bit harshly. To be honest, I've never imagined Paul as the guy who falls in love. Actually, come to think of it, I don't even know what goes on his mind. Does he think like the way he acts? Or is he like those guys who act indifferent but has a lot of thoughts going on his mind? This boy's hard to understand but that's probably one of the reasons why I actually like him. He's one of a kind. He's mysterious and harsh but deep down inside him, he has a big heart. But I don't want to get my hopes up for someone I know that doesn't feel the same like I do. What if he starts avoiding me again?_

The chorus blasted on again while the young couple imagined all the things that brought them together. How they met, how they fell in love, how they broke up, how they made up, after all, their story was like Romeo and Juliet's, only this time, they didn't kill each other and their parents learned to accept them in each one's family.

_**This is me praying that**__****_

_**This was the very first page, not where the storyline ends**__**  
><strong>__**My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again**__**  
><strong>__**These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon**__**  
><strong>__**I was enchanted to meet you**__****_

_**Please don't be in love with someone else**__**  
><strong>__**Please don't have somebody waiting on you**__**  
><strong>__**Please don't be in love with someone else**__**  
><strong>__**Please don't have somebody waiting on you**_

_**-**__flashback-_

_"WHAT BENEFIT? What good does it do you if you're just gonna stand there doing nothing? You're giving up just because you're afraid of your father?" She exclaimed angrily but mostly in disbelief, "This is what's wrong with you, Paul. You give up too easily. You may look tough on the outside but you don't know how to fight your emotional battles! You think you're the one having the hard time? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I'M A BULLIED STUDENT, MY STEPDAD HATES ME, MY MOTHER DOESN'T HAVE TIME FOR ME AND MY SOON-TO-BE EX IS EXTREMELY WEAK TO EVEN DEFEND ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH, PAUL. NOBODY DOES!" Dawn screamed loudly._

_"Dawn...I-"_

_"You listen! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE UNDERMINING ME. I'M SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE DOWNGRADING ME AND GIVING UP ON ME! Paul, I trusted you. I've known you for almost my whole life. I never knew that you'd be the first to let go of me that easily, Paul." She unclasped something from her neck and held Paul's hand. "I'm sorry, Paul. I really am. I don't know what I did to make you like that but..I'm sorry." She gave him one last, soft kiss on the lips before letting go of his hand. She looked into his eyes deeply before running off crying._

_**This night is sparkling, don't you let it go**__**  
><strong>__**I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home**__**  
><strong>__**I'll spend forever wondering if you knew**__****_

_**This night is flawless, don't you let it go**__**  
><strong>__**I'm wonder-struck, dancing around all alone**__**  
><strong>__**I'll spend forever wondering if you knew**__**  
><strong>__**I was enchanted to meet you**_

_**-**__flashback-_

_"I'm sorry, Dawn. I am. I may not be the perfect man, we may not be the perfect couple and we may have other fights than this in the future but I could assure you that I still love you." Paul said._

_Before he could even control himself and let Dawn speak, he leaned down and captured her lips with his. The feeling was ecstatic. Kissing your girlfriend once again under the rain. He definitely missed her soft, pink lips and the way she held onto his neck while he circled her waist. He gently stroked both her arms up and down probably to warm her up. The thunder and lightning crashed and flashed but they didn't seem to mind just as long as they were in each others arms once again._

_-end of flashback-_

The song ended and Dawn lifted her head, AGAIN, as she heard the last two lines, '_Please don't be in love with someone else, Please don't have somebody waiting on you'_

"I know what you're thinking and I can promise you that you're the only girl I love, alright?" Paul said as if reading her mind.

Instead of replying, Dawn raised herself and met Paul's lips. It was soft. The kiss was soft and gentle but was warm and fulfilling. Paul pulled the girl in his arms closer to him as he intensified the kiss for a bit. They stood there kissing under the dark hall, in each other's arms, through the music.

**-xoOox-**

**Five years later...**

Dawn and Paul were sitting on the ground on top of a mountain, their backs leaning on Paul's car while their hands were intertwined.

"So Paul, we're both about to graduate now. You from that business thing and me, from that fashion designing, so what do you wanna do after graduation?" Dawn asked.

"I want to spend the whole summer with my fiancée." He simply said smirking inwardly.

"Huh?" Dawn's mind drew a blank not even bothering to process what he had just said.

"Dawn, I love you so much. And for the past 16 years that I have known you, I can say that I was really glad that I've met someone like you. Someone who changed my life and me. Someone I'm proud to call as my girl. You're a special girl, Dawn, and I love you for being...Dawn, the troublesome girl. If it's not too much to ask, will you marry me?" Paul said through a grin.

Dawn's grin widened and her eyes had tears threatening to fall from the happiness. "Thought you long enough to ask. Yes. Yes I would, Paul!" She said excitedly as Paul slipped the ring he took out of a velvet box from his jacket into her finger.

"Great 'coz I know that you'll make a great mom." He said and kissed her square on the lips. His hands travelling up and down on her arms. Dawn smiled through and happily kissed back. After a few moments, Paul pulled away, much to Dawn's disappointment.

"About those 5 babies of yours...do you rea-"

"Hush Paul, let's not talk about that for now." Dawn said as she giggled and jumped on him to kiss him, causing them to roll over and fall on each other. But it didn't look like they cared.

Yeah, they weren't that perfect but nobody is perfect anyway. They knew they'd be together, along with all the laughs, the sadness, the fights, the love but they were ready to face everything. Just as long as they were together, everything was going to be alright. Because every time they see each other, it's like they were falling for each other again. And they would happily catch each other.

It wasn't fate that brought them together.

It was destiny.

**-xoOox-**

**Well, this is the last chapter. –cries a bucketful- But you know what they say, everything must come to an end. Anyway, I hope you really liked this story of mine. I've started with my new story and I hope you would support it as well.**

**Please review and no flames! Thank you! Love you guys!**


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